


Hermione Granger - The Sorceress Saga

by lildropofmagic



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M, Most MCU characters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-20
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-02-28 07:02:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 27
Words: 122,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22819717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lildropofmagic/pseuds/lildropofmagic
Summary: May 2011. After a series of worrying events occur in the muggle world, Kingsley Shacklebolt finally grants Nick Fury's request to provide a magical liaison to work with S.H.I.E.L.D - Hermione Granger.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Steve Rogers
Comments: 189
Kudos: 338





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Some FF.net users may recognise this story as the series has been published over there for the last few years. I am sharing the Sorceress fics on here too so that they can be read as one complete work. I obviously still don't own the rights to Harry Potter or the MCU.

“A top class report, Granger. Well done.”

Hermione smiled politely at the compliment from Mr Entwistle, her boss, but in truth she felt no great satisfaction in the review she’d compiled on Hinkypunk activity in East Anglia. It  was a very thorough yet succinct report and she knew that the praise was deserved, but her lack of pride came from the simplicity of the task. “Thank you, sir. I expect to have the recommendations for ghoul interaction to be on your desk before the end of the day.” With a brief nod of the head she left her boss’s office and walked the familiar path through the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures to her cubicle.

Ron always scoffed whenever he saw her work space due to its pristine condition, but she had much the same reaction when she got a glimpse at how untidy  his cubicle was in the Auror department. She and Ron were very different personalities and she liked that. Of course, there were times when they would drive each other up the wall and they had actually broken up three times over the last two years, but Hermione couldn’t imagine anyone else she’d rather have at her side. 

She pulled her ‘ghouls’ folder out from her desk and reread her notes and interview transcripts in order to prepare her recommendations. 

A shout of alarm from a corridor outside made Hermione react instinctively: grabbing her wand from her desk, she rose quickly and hurried to the open door but kept out of the sight. Carefully, she inched forwards to look around the doorframe to see what the commotion was about. A cloaked figure was running quickly away from her, while another person lay, unmoving, on the floor. Wordlessly, she sent a stunning spell at the fleeing figure and watched with satisfaction as it made contact, making them crumple to the ground. Hermione trotted briskly over to check that the runaway was truly unconscious, and conjured ropes to tightly bind their hands and feet just to make sure they wouldn’t escape. 

A door at the head of the corridor opened and Hermione felt her eyes widen in surprise as the Minister for Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt, walked towards her. He didn’t pay the two figures on the floor the slightest glance but looked at her with an unreadable expression. 

“Come with me, Hermione,” he said calmly, holding out a hand to pull her from her crouched position. He didn’t wait to hear a response once she was standing upright, but instead walked back to the door he had exited. 

“But, Minister, these people?” she asked in confusion, looking at the two prone figures. Why wasn’t Kingsley concerned about a supposed attack in the corridors of his Ministry? 

“Everything is under control, don’t worry,” Kingsley’s deep voice soothed, not pausing in his step.

“But,” Hermione tried again, walking hurriedly after him with a few further glances over her shoulder.

“I will explain all to you in a few minutes, Hermione,” Kingsley assured her, opening the door and indicating that she should enter. She acquiesced even though her mind was buzzing with dozens of questions. 

The room she entered was little more than a broom cupboard and, despite being a member of her Department for nearly a year, she could’ve sworn that there’d never even been a room here. But, of course, that was entirely possible.

Kingsley motioned for her to take a seat at a rather minute table but Hermione was far too worked up for that. The door shut behind him with a much louder and deeper click than she had expected and Kingsley waved his wand around the room a few times. Hermione assumed he did so to make the space even more secure than it already was. Kingsley settled himself comfortably into one of the plain wooden chairs before finally turning to a bewildered Hermione.

“So, Hermione, how are you enjoying your work here at the Ministry?” he asked, lacing his fingers together in his lap. 

Hermione tilted her head slightly, not sure that she had heard the Minister correctly. “I’m sorry. I just stunned a hooded assailant a few yards away from where we’re standing and you want to chat about goblin regulations?!” 

Kingsley lips twitched slightly. “Not exactly. I want to talk about you.”

Hermione had to force herself to remember that she was talking to the Minister for Magic, the most important man in Wizarding Britain. No matter how confusing he was being right now, she would still show him the respect that his title deserved. She tried to calm her thoughts and emotions down, and focused on being a professional employee. “What exactly did you want to discuss, Minister?”

“As I said, how are you enjoying your work here?” he repeated.

Hermione lightly chewed the inside of her cheek as she considered what to say. “I have been given the opportunity to become familiar with the workings of a very well-organised department,” she began but Kingsley shook his head.

“That’s not what I asked,” he pointed out. “How are you  _ enjoying _ your work?”

Hermione flushed at his interruption. “I’m very grateful to Mr Entwistle for giving me a position in his department and I’m thankful that he’s promised to let me explore my campaign for house-elf rights,” she explained and then paused. How honest should she be? Hermione didn’t like lying but she had done it on numerous occasions for the well-being of others. This wasn’t one of those occasions. It wasn’t as though she disliked her work in the Ministry; it was more that she didn’t  like it either. 

Kingsley appeared to sense her thoughts for he chuckled lowly. “I thought as much. Don’t worry,” he added, holding up his hand to placate her. “As I’m sure you’ve guessed, this conversation is very much private. In fact, for all intents and purposes, it doesn’t exist.” 

“Is that why we’re not meeting in your office?” she asked, deciding that maybe it was time to take a seat after all.

“Exactly,” Kingsley nodded. “There are far too many eyes on the first floor. Now, there’s something I’ve been wondering these last few months: why didn’t you apply to be an auror when the war ended?”

“Finishing my education was incredibly important to me,” Hermione answered immediately. “There was no question of me seeking employment without obtaining my NEWTs.”

“Yes, I understand. But what about after, when you had graduated?” he questioned. “Given your admirable war actions I thought you would make an exceptional auror.”

Hermione grimaced slightly. “That’s kind of you to say but… Do you know what it was like to live every waking moment in absolute fear for the lives of those you loved?” Hermione shook her head. “I’m sorry. We all felt that way, I know, and others suffered far worse than I did. But, just because I may have been reasonably successful at fighting, it doesn’t mean that I want to do that full time. There’s more to me than just being one of Harry’s supporters.”

“I’m definitely aware of that,” Kingsley responded with a smile.

“I have aims of my own,” she continued. “Things that I’d like to achieve first.”

“ First ?” Kingsley repeated, leaning forward slightly. “So a career in Law Enforcement is something you have in mind for the future?” 

“I-I,” Hermione stammered before letting out a frustrated sigh. “It’s all Harry’s fault. Being his friend meant that I became used to a certain lifestyle and now I miss that buzz,” she shook her head with a wry smile. “Oh, don’t get me wrong, of course I’m glad that innocent people aren’t suffering anymore and we’re not at war. It’s just that civilian life seems a bit…lacking, I suppose. It’s fine,” Hermione shrugged. “I’m just adapting.” 

“You certainly reacted quickly to the disturbance,” he commented, motioning back towards the door they’d entered. “Your fighting instincts are still right under the surface.”

Hermione looked at Kingsley suspiciously. “That was a set-up, wasn’t it? You wanted to see how I’d respond.”

“Yes.” 

“Why?”

“I have a job offer for you,” Kingsley announced, lacing his fingers back together again.

“And this is how you offer most people jobs, is it?” Hermione queried with a trace of sarcasm.

“This is not  most jobs,” he countered. “It is unique.”

Hermione couldn’t deny that her curiosity was decidedly piqued. “Go on.”

“How closely do you follow events in the muggle world?” 

She frowned, the question taking her by surprise. “I have a muggle newspaper delivered each morning with the  Prophet . Oh, and I have a computer in my flat that’s connected to the internet but I don’t use it very often.” 

Kingsley nodded. “Good. Well, I suppose that it might not come as a surprise to you that during the course of The Second War a number of magical incidents were picked up on by a muggle intelligence agency.”

Hermione shifted uncomfortably in her seat. That wasn’t good news. The last thing they wanted after finally defeating Voldemort was to have the muggles find out about them. 

“Ever since then they have been trying to get in contact with us but we have ignored all their attempts,” he continued.

“What do they want?” she asked.

“A liaison.” Kingsley paused to let the word hang in the air. 

“A liaison?” Hermione repeated in surprise. “You want me to talk to British intelligence?” 

“They’re not British,” he said. 

“What?” 

“Well, we don’t think so. In truth we know as much about them as they probably do about us. My man in muggle communications could find out very little and, in truth, I’d never heard of them despite my undercover work in muggle politics. They’re called S.H.I.E.L.D.” Kingsley reached into a pocket of his robes and withdrew a piece of paper emblazoned with a black and white logo. He passed it to Hermione. 

The main motif was that of a bird, and something about its powerful appearance brought the States to her mind. She read the words that outlined the motif aloud. “Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement Logistics Division. S.H.I.E.L.D. I get it. But, why do you want me to be their liaison? There must be numerous others who are more qualified for the job.” 

“I don’t really know what this job is going to entail,” Kingsley said, his voice graver than before. “They may have requested just a liaison, but I doubt things will be quite as simple when dealing with an intelligence agency. I need someone who can think on their feet, react to the situation at hand.”

“Surely an auror would be better suited,” she pointed out.

“Hermione, no one must know that we are cooperating with S.H.I.E.L.D. Can you imagine the outcry? If it was one of my aurors then the news would be more likely to filter out; they are law enforcement, not intelligence. It’s a different set of skills.” 

“And you think  I possess those skills?” Hermione asked in disbelief. 

“You’re extremely intelligent, are familiar with muggle ways and demonstrate an admirable ability to think clearly under pressure. Take the incident at Malfoy Manor for example,” Kingsley explained. “Before the snatchers even arrived, you jinxed Harry to hide his identity and then, while undergoing torture from Bellatrix Lestrange, you managed to deceive her about the origins of Gryffindor’s sword.”

Hermione shook her head. “I did what anyone would have done. I’m no one special.”

“You helped orchestrate infiltrations of the Ministry and Gringotts.”

“Yes,  helped ,” she insisted. “Harry and Ron were very vital parts of that.”

“What about your escape from the Lovegood’s or your remarkably well-prepared bag? Remember, Hermione, I have read the official reports you three made on your war experiences. So believe me when I say you have the abilities to cope with whatever this post may throw at you,” Kingsley said firmly, leaning forward in his seat. “You do, of course, have the choice to turn down this offer. Your work with magical creatures will continue either way; this liaison role should only take a very small amount of your time. And, of course, it goes without saying that you will tell no one about this, not even your best friends.”

Hermione nodded. “I understand all that and I’m honestly very flattered that you think so highly of me.” She paused and Kingsley raised an eyebrow at her. “I just have one question: why now? Why after two years of them requesting a liaison have you finally agreed?”

Kingsley chuckled lowly. “That is exactly the right question to ask.” He waved his wand and a paper file appeared on the table between them. He pushed the file towards her. “Use the index finger of your wand hand to trace your signature on the file to unlock it,” Kingsley commanded. “It’s sealed shut except for your eyes and mine.”

Hermione did as instructed, eager to see what lay inside. A series of still photographs were the first things she noticed. They showed a face that had frequented the front page of her muggle newspaper the last few months.

“You recognise him?” Kingsley asked as she looked through the other photos of him, some of which she knew to be taken within the last week.

“Tony Stark, aka Iron Man,” she replied dryly. “A muggle technological genius who’s invented a metallic suit with capabilities the world has never seen before.” She looked at one of the recent photos of the Iron Man suit taken at the Stark Expo at Flushing Meadows. “From what I read in the papers it seems like various muggles have tried to replicate his invention, which resulted in a mass drone attack in New York a few days ago.” She eyed the Iron Man-inspired robots in the photos with distaste. “And this has to do with S.H.I.E.L.D?”

“Given the nature of their agency it is a reasonable assumption that they have connections with Stark,” Kinglsey pointed out. “Keep looking.” Hermione turned to the next part of the file. “Your muggle newspaper from this morning wouldn’t have been recent enough to inform you of what happened in Harlem last night.” 

Hermione raised her eyebrows. “New York again? Sounds like a city to avoid if you ask me,” she muttered, bringing another set of photos to her gaze. These were of a lesser quality, which was understandable if the incident they showed only happened a few hours ago. Hermione could make out two abnormally large figures of an extremely muscular build: one white, one green. “Um, Minister, who, er,  _ what _ are these?” 

“We’re not entirely sure, to be honest,” he admitted, looking gravely at the destruction the two creatures had left behind them. “But we believe them to be muggles that took part in scientific experiments that went wrong.”

Hermione gasped. “Have they been stopped?”

“You could say that,” Kingsley replied. “The white coloured one is in the custody of muggle authorities but the green one has escaped.” 

“Excellent,” she sighed sarcastically. “I’m almost scared to look in the third part of this folder.”

“This one is a little…different,” Kingsley warned as Hermione took the third set of photos. “A wizard in the States had noticed extremely strange atmospheric disturbances two or three days ago and headed to their source in New Mexico. Our counterparts over the pond sent us his statement and the photos he took of what he found.”

“What are these muggles  wearing ?” Hermione asked, seeing a photo of four men and a woman in clothes that were certainly not your usual muggle attire. They were wearing leather and metal armour, capes and carried weapons. “Those are pretty elaborate costumes.” Kingsley said nothing as Hermione continued to peruse the photos. “That’s a big hammer. Dressed like that he almost reminds me of…” Hermione’s voice faded away when she looked at the next photo. It was hard to be sure because the person who had taken these photos had obviously been hiding at the time, but it  almost looked as though the man with the hammer was flying. She glanced sharply at Kingsley. 

“Who does he remind you of?” he asked calmly.

Hermione stared at him, trying to perceive any jest in his features. “An old muggle legend I heard as a child. The Norse god of thunder had a hammer. He was called Thor.”

Kingsley leant back in his chair again, face still serious. “I told you this one was different.”

Hermione shook her head. “I’m sorry. Do you really expect me to believe that this person,” she tapped the muscular, blond-haired man’s profile, “is  _ the _ Thor? Son of Odin and all that? An actual  god ?!” 

“Our wizard friend did not hear a name mentioned for that individual in the course of events but he did overhear the potential Thor mention that his brother, ‘Loki’, had to be stopped.”

“Loki, the trickster god?” Hermione asked faintly. This all seemed so absurd. 

“The very same.” 

Unable to think of a response, Hermione turned to the next photo, which showed the arrival of muggle men in dark suits, looking the epitome of intelligence workers. “S.H.I.E.L.D. Merlin knows what the muggles think of all this – I’m finding it hard enough and I’m a witch! What happened after this?” she asked, reaching the end of the photos. “Are Thor and his friends still here?”

“It’s believed not. The group went into the desert and the wizard didn’t fancy his chances of remaining undiscovered in such open ground. He said he observed another atmospheric disturbance from afar and it’s thought that Thor and his companions left to return home,” Kingsley explained.

“Right,” Hermione muttered, replacing all the photos and closing the folder. She rubbed her temples as she tried to take everything in. 

Kingsley cleared his throat. “So, going back to your original question of why I have now agreed to a liaison with S.H.I.E.L.D,” he paused and met her with a heavy gaze. “I am concerned. These incidents have all taken place within the last few days. As muggles continue to push the boundaries of what is possible with technology and science, the more threats there will be to human life, both muggle and magical. And now we discover that there appears to be life elsewhere in the universe capable of extreme power. Who knows what threats lie out there in other worlds?” 

“So, it’s not really us telling S.H.I.E.L.D about what’s happening in the wizarding world, but them keeping us up to date with potential threats we might be unaware of?” Hermione summarised. 

Kingsley nodded. “They may well have a different intention for this liaison role, but that’s certainly what my point of view is.” 

Hermione frowned at the folder. “If all these things are happening in America, why not send an American wizard to liaise with them?”

“Ah,” Kingsley said, looking annoyed. “The truth is that S.H.I.E.L.D are not quite as clever as they think: as far as they’re aware, the only witches and wizards live in Britain. Magic in the States hasn’t been detected yet and my counterpart over there would very much like that to remain the case. In exchange for us being the ones to open the channels with the muggles, they will turn their eyes to any travel you should make throughout the country, portkeys included, to a certain extent.”

“I see,” Hermionie replied. There was a pause as he let her gather her various thoughts.

“I understand if you need time to consider this offer,” he said after a while. “The situation in our society might be well on the road to recovery now, but for muggles it seems like the world is growing ever more dangerous. I do need to know by the end of the day though, to give me time to rearrange the meet-"

“I’ll do it,” Hermione interrupted. “I’ll talk with S.H.I.E.L.D.” 


	2. Chapter 2

Nick Fury, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D, glanced at his watch again. There were ninety seconds until a meeting began that had been over two years in the making. Exactly who he was meeting he wasn’t sure, but he hadn’t really expected to be given a name. 

He drummed his fingers on the table in front of him and cast his eye around the perimeter. He was waiting in an abandoned warehouse (owned by S.H.I.E.L.D) in Brooklyn. Various operatives were stationed within view of the building, all of them armed. Given the week that he’d had, Fury wasn’t about to take any chances. None of the agents knew exactly what they were looking out for as the knowledge of these…people, was beyond even Level 10 clearance. Apart from himself, the only other people within S.H.I.E.L.D who knew about the situation in the UK were the agents who had brought him the intelligence in the first place. 

“No sign of any unusual activity out here, sir,” Agent Coulson’s voice spoke electronically in the Director’s ear. If Coulson found this assignment unusual he hadn’t mentioned it, but nor was he likely to given his professionalism. Besides, he’d also been witness to his fair share of peculiar situations over the years. A mysterious stake out paled in comparison to meeting the son of Odin.

“Understood.” 

There were ten seconds until the agreed meeting time. Fury certainly hoped that this wasn’t going to turn out to be a waste of time. Three... Two... One…

An intense white light in the middle of the building made Fury jump to his feet in alarm, reaching for his pistol as he did so. He aimed it at the centre of the light, finger positioned on the trigger. As quickly as it had arrived, the light disappeared to reveal a young woman, looking hardly older than a teenager, a thin stick in her grasp.

Her eyes immediately focused on the weapon in his hands before moving to his face. She drew a shaky breath and spoke in the expected English accent. “Have you ever been to Brighton?”

“No, I prefer my beach with sand not stones,” Fury replied. They gazed at each other for a moment longer before slowly lowering their weapons. They were both still on alert but so far, at least, things had gone as planned with the code words. 

The girl walked forward almost hesitantly. He had to admit that he was surprised at how young she seemed but, given what little he knew about her or her people, that wasn’t necessarily an indication of her age or ability. She was pretty slender, with bushy, light brown hair that reached just past her shoulders. Her clothes were perfectly normal: a pair of jeans, a grey zipped cardigan and a mauve scarf.

“Nick Fury, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D,” he introduced himself as she got nearer. He motioned to the chair on the other side of the table. “Take a seat,” he offered while retaking his own. 

She obliged, still looking wary. “Thank you. I’m Hermione Granger, I don’t have a title or anything like that.” Fury wondered for what reason she had been chosen to represent her people as their liaison. There must be more to this Hermione Granger than met the eye. “Why don’t you start?” she suggested. “You’re the ones who requested this meeting in the first place.”

“A request that’s taken over two years to be accepted. You lot aren’t too keen on talking,” Fury pointed out.

Hermione looked back at him impassively. “No. We’re not.”

Fury pursed his lips slightly. “Is there a word for someone like you? I don’t want to insult you by saying the wrong thing.”

The girl tensed. It seemed she was reluctant to release even this small bit of information. He wasn’t very hopeful that this was going to be a particularly enlightening meeting. “Witch,” she bit out eventually. “A male is called a wizard.”

“Magic, huh?” Fury tried not to look too pleased at the confirmation of what his intelligence had seen. “Many people regard magic as just science that we don’t understand yet.”

Hermione smiled tightly and crossed her arms. “I’ve never tried to define it; I only know how to use it.”

“A demonstration would be appreciated.”

Hermione sighed but ignored his suggestion. “Director, why did you want to get in contact with us?”

“The same reason that it’s taken you until this week to accept,” Fury replied. “I had concerns.”

“Could you perhaps be more specific?” Hermione asked. “We are talking about a couple of years ago after all.”

Fury casually pulled a file from inside his coat and placed it on the table in front of her. “Take a look for yourself.” She frowned at him but opened the file nonetheless. He watched as her mouth got tighter the more she saw. “So, are you going to tell me about this war or not?”

“It’s over. That’s all you need to know,” Hermione replied, pushing the file back to him.

“And how do I know that the good guys won?” he asked bluntly. 

“Because I’m sitting here talking to you like an equal.” Hermione answered simply. “The ‘bad guys’ as you would call them, weren’t too keen on people like you?”

“People like me?”

“Those without our abilities,” she explained. “They thought you were lesser humans.”

“You are human then?” Fury asked casually, as though this was a question he asked regularly.

Hermione blinked in surprise. “Do I look like an alien to you?”

Fury crossed his arms. “It’s possible that beings from other planets look like us.”

Hermione smiled. “Are you talking about Thor and his friends?” Fury paused. So, she knew about New Mexico, too. “You want to talk concerns, Director? Well, inter-world travel is one for us. I can offer you my solemn word that we do not pose a threat to you and want very much to be left to ourselves. We’re more than happy to let you clear up after yourselves with regards to people like Tony Stark and those creatures in Harlem. But who knows what could be planning a visit to Earth next. Or, more seriously, what their purpose would be.”

Fury watched her quietly. It was interesting that her fears echoed his own. His concern about an extra-terrestrial attack had prompted him to lobby the World Security Council for increased funding and jurisdiction at S.H.I.E.L.D. Luckily they had actually agreed with him, for once. 

“Your concerns are duly noted,” he replied shortly and silence settled between them.

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him. “That’s it?”

Fury shrugged. “You’ve shared your worries and told me I have nothing to fear from you, more or less making us allies. Is there anything else you wanted to say?”

“We would like your information on the visitors,” she said, sitting up straighter.

“Absolutely not,” he replied flatly.

She let out a little sigh but didn’t seem too disappointed. “Then we just ask to be informed should anything like this happen again.”

“Why?” he questioned. “You said yourself that you just want to be left alone. If something hostile arrives and starts killing people without magic, you’re not going to do anything until it steps foot on your home turf, right?”

“You said it yourself: we are allies, of a kind.”

Fury leaned forward slightly and chuckled. “You know, it seems to me that a friend who only joins the fight once they’ve been attacked themselves isn’t much of a friend.”

“Do the words ‘Pearl’ and ‘Harbour’ sound familiar?” Hermione asked coolly.

“I don’t remember any people waving sticks like yours around during World War Two,” Fury countered.

Hermione stayed quiet, conceding the point. “You don’t know what you’re asking,” she said with a gentle shake of her head. “This is my entire way of life we’re talking about - hundreds of years of tradition. This would change everything.”

“The world’s already changing whether you want it to or not,” he pointed out. “It’s time to start reacting.”

“I’ve told you what we want. What do you want: us to admit our existence to the world and form a joint army?” she scoffed.

“I want to know my ally better,” he stated calmly.

“It’s taken two years for you to even get this far. What makes you think that we’d let you any closer?”

“Because you want our information in return,” he reminded her. “You want to know about Thor, Asgard and the Nine realms theory.”

Her eyes lit up slightly. “This was a polite request for that information. I could get it from you anytime I wanted and you’d never know I’d taken it.”

“I’d like to see you try.”

“Is that a challenge?” she asked quietly.

“You bet it is!” Fury goaded. “I will personally hand you everything we have about the New Mexico incident if you can infiltrate three S.H.I.E.L.D related sites without being caught.”

“And if I am caught, what do you get?” Hermione asked warily.

“What are you offering?”

She thought about it for a moment. “You will be given ten minutes to ask me whatever questions you wish about my community.”

Fury regarded her. “How do I know you’ll answer honestly?”

“There are ways to ensure it,” she assured him. “Now, name your terms.”

Over the next few minutes, Fury outlined exactly what his challenge entailed. He wondered if she had any idea that he was getting exactly what he wanted: an opportunity to see one of these magical people in action. He was happy to give up the details from Puente Antiguo in return. 

“Agent Coulson please enter the warehouse,” Fury instructed into his earpiece.

“Yes, sir.”

There was a noise from the other end of the building. Fury and Hermione watched as Coulson strode over to them, looking calm under their twin gaze. 

“Agent Coulson, meet Hermione Granger,” Fury said, getting the introductions over with. 

There was a definite hint of curiosity on Coulson’s face as he shook the young woman’s hand. None of his agents had seen her arrive and she definitely hadn’t been at the warehouse before then. 

“At 1100 hours tomorrow morning, Miss Granger is going to attempt to break into my office at the Triskelion.” Fury informed his agent. “You will be waiting in my office to see if she succeeds.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“At 0900 hours PST the following day, she will then attempt to access the main holding cell on the beta helicarrier. Again, you will be there also.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Then at 1600 hours that same day, you will be waiting in Tony Stark’s workshop.”

“I think I can guess the rest of the orders, sir. Does Stark know about this?”

“Not yet, but he will,” Fury promised. 

“See you tomorrow, Agent Coulson.” Hermione Granger smiled brightly at them both before walking in the direction Coulson had entered. Both men watched her go in silence.

“Er, sir, I have a few questions,” Coulson said.

“I’m sure you do,” Fury replied dryly. “Unfortunately I can already tell you that you don’t have clearance for the answers yet.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to anyone who has read, commented or given kudos - please keep it coming!
> 
> Lil Drop of Magic


	3. Chapter 3

Agent Phil Coulson shifted uncomfortably as he stood waiting in the Director’s office. He could count on one hand the number of times he had been in this room (Director Fury wasn’t really the sitting-behind-a-desk sort of person, and was more likely to be giving orders whilst in transit somewhere across the country, dealing with various situations.) and this was the first time Phil had been there alone. 

He walked over to the large window to ease his discomfort and surveyed the immediate surroundings. The Triskelion’s location on Theodore Roosevelt Island afforded it a great view of the Potomac River and, due to his current position on one of the top floors, he could see much of Washington DC before him. 

Phil had all but discounted the window as a means of entrance by this Granger girl. The sheer walls were impossible to climb without specialist equipment and were constantly monitored. The windows were breakable if you had enough fire power but she would probably need a means of transportation capable of flight to get it to this height. However, an unidentified aircraft flying in this airspace would be shot down in no time. So, unless she wanted to get herself blown up, he doubted she’d come in via the window. 

He turned back to the door. That entrance seemed much more likely to him although, given that he knew nothing about this potential intruder apart from her name and her appearance, that didn’t give him much to base his judgements on. She  _ appeared _ to be little more than a teenager and her accent sounded English, but that didn’t tell him much about how she intended to break into the headquarters of S.H.I.E.L.D. The svelte young woman hadn’t come across as much of a threat and the Director had told him that it was unlikely that he would have to use force against her. Coulson really didn’t know what to think about her but trusted that his boss had his reasons for encouraging her to break into three secure locations. And if she managed to do it, then they had some pretty major security breaches to cover.

His watch vibrated, informing him that it was eleven o’clock, and he concentrated his gaze on the door. A small popping noise made him turn his head and his mouth fell open. 

“This is quite a view,” Hermione Granger said, standing by the window, her back to him. “Is that the White House?” she looked over her shoulder, expecting him to answer. 

“H-how did you get in here?” he asked, utterly perplexed at her sudden arrival. 

She grimaced slightly. “I’m sorry, Agent Coulson, that’s classified.” That didn’t come as much of a surprise to him. “Well, I suppose I’ll see you tomorrow morning somewhere off the coast of California.”

Phil nodded. “Uh, yes.” He wished he could say something more intelligent but his more impressive vocabulary seemed to be lost to him at that moment.

“Say hello to the Director for me,” Hermione requested, then shifted her gaze over his shoulder. “Oh, here he comes now.”

As soon as Phil turned his head to look, he knew he’d made a mistake. There was another small ‘pop’ and when he turned back a split second later, she was gone. He frowned, annoyed that she had tricked him.

He lifted his watch to his mouth. “Sir, did you see that?”

“I did,” came Director Fury’s response. “It seems to me that you’ve got a flight to catch.”

* * *

The beta-helicarrier was still docked in its secret US naval base when Coulson’s helicopter landed on it at 1700 hours PST. Within twenty minutes, the helicarrier was on the move, headed out into the ocean. Once out of sight of land, its two enormous engines were put to full use and the machine rose into the air. 

Coulson knew that as impressive as the helicarrier was, the Director had ordered a bigger, four-engine powered model to be made. That would be quite a sight. 

By morning, the helicarrier was floating in the clouds about two hundred and twenty five miles northwest of Los Angeles. 

Phil had slept reasonably well when he wasn’t thinking about mysteriously appearing and disappearing British teenagers. The Director had told him that Hermione Granger planned on using different methods each time she attempted an incursion. Phil couldn’t help but feel if her methods were anything as impressive as the one she’d used the previous day, then S.H.I.E.L.D were seriously outmatched.

Ten minutes before Hermione’s expected arrival time, Phil travelled to the holding cell and keyed in the code to allow him entry, then walked inside. The curved walls of the cell were made of reinforced glass and gave him a view of pretty much the whole room both inside and out of the cell. He stood with his back firmly against the wall, eyes positioned on both the entrance to the cell and the room beyond it. 

Nine o’clock buzzed on his wrist and Hermione Granger unveiled herself out of thin air. It was as though she had simply pulled off a piece of material that had rendered her invisible. “Good morning, Agent Coulson,” she greeted. 

“Miss Granger,” he nodded in reply. “How long were you following me under that thing?” he asked as she moved her arms in a folding motion. He couldn’t see the invisibility device but he knew it was there.

“How long do you think?” she replied, forcing the unseen object into her handbag. He was surprised that such an elaborate object could fit into such a small purse.

He hadn’t had any inkling of someone shadowing his movements since their previous encounter. The invisibility device must have sound dampening features, too, for he would have expected to at least hear her footfalls when she walked around the helicarrier; this place wasn’t exactly quiet. “Actually, I don’t think I want to know,” he replied. 

Hermione smiled and shrugged her shoulders. “All right.” She glanced at the door. “Do you know how to get us out or do I need to find my own way?” 

He walked over to the console next to the door and deactivated the lock. He motioned for her to go first. “Thank you.”

“So, are you gonna put that thing back on and stowaway on my ride or have you got something else planned?”

Hermione shrugged, pausing just outside the door. “That depends on how generous Director Fury is feeling this morning.” 

Coulson raised his eyebrows. “Is that so?”

“Yes, I’d rather not put the cloak back on – it can get a bit tedious after a while,” she admitted.

“You want an authorised seat on the chopper?”

“Yes, if it’s not too much bother.” 

Coulson paused to listen to Fury’s instructions in his ear. “He says you can get on board if you tell him the name of the device you used to hide yourself,” he repeated.

Hermione lips twitched. “I would have thought that was obvious. I’ve already told you it’s a cloak and you know what it does.”

“So, it’s a cloak of invisibility?” 

She scrunched her nose a little. “More or less: it’s an invisibility cloak. Now, which way is it to the helicopter? We don’t want to be late for Mr Stark.” 

Fifteen minutes later, their helicopter departed from the helicarrier, heading to Los Angeles. They sat in silence for the first few minutes before Hermione pulled a large tome from her bag and started to read. Coulson narrowed his eyes at the offending bag. He didn’t understand how, but he had a feeling that it was much bigger on the inside.

“I see you’re a keen reader,” he said loudly to be heard over the noise of the helicopter.

She lifted her eyes from the page. “What gave it away?”

He laughed. “What’s your favourite book then?”

“You wouldn’t have heard of it, believe me,” she replied with a cryptic smile, returning her gaze to the text.

“You’re from England, right?” he asked. “Which part? I’ve been there many times.” 

She raised her whole head this time. “That’s not going to work, Agent Coulson.”

Phil lifted his hands. “What? I’m just making conversation and I don’t really have a lot to go on where you’re concerned apart from your accent.”

“Well, that’s the way I like it,” she responded. “The less you know about me the better.” 

“Better for who - you or me?”

“Me,” she said sweetly.

They didn’t speak another word to each other until they had landed. Hermione checked her watch. “See you in a couple of hours then.”

“I know you’ll see me but will I see you?” he asked.

She grinned. “You’ll see me this time, I promise.”

* * *

“ – Tony are you listening to me?” 

Tony turned around in surprise to look at Pepper Potts, the CEO of his company and the woman he was in a semi-stable relationship with. She looked angry. “Of course I am, I just don’t see why we couldn’t have done this at home over a three course dinner and champagne.”

Pepper frowned. “You want to talk shop while we’re eating?”

“What do  _ you _ want to talk about?” he shrugged. 

She cast her hand around for an idea. “I don’t know, topical events-”

“Topical events!” he interrupted, looking appalled. “You do know we’re not a married couple in our sixties, don’t you?”

There was a knock on the door and Pepper’s new assistant entered. At a guess, Tony would say she was pushing about a hundred and fifty years old so she wasn’t exactly much of a looker, but he was very glad to see the back of Natalie Rushman - or whatever her real name was. His latest meeting with S.H.I.E.L.D had left a bitter taste in his mouth – how could he not qualify for the Avengers Initiative? It was probably for the best that the whole thing had been scrapped anyway. 

“Excuse me, Miss Potts. Your three o’clock appointment is here.”

“Thank you, Glenda, please show her in,” Pepper replied. The assistant nodded and closed the door again.

“Time for me to leave?” Tony asked. 

“You’ve got that meeting with Agent Coulson soon anyway,” Pepper reminded him.

“Oh yeah, that.” He hadn’t told Pepper exactly  _ why _ Coulson was coming because the whole thing sounded like a waste of time: there was just no way that an intruder was going to get past his front door, let alone into his workshop. “Are we on for dinner and champagne?”

Pepper smiled as she came to stand in front of him. “I promise I won’t talk topical events if you don’t talk shop.”

Tony pursed his lips as though considering it. “Deal,” he said, before leaning forward to press his lips against Pepper’s.

“Oh!” came a startled voice. 

Pepper pulled away as she’d been burnt, and they both looked over at the newcomer. She was young, around twenty, with long, light brown hair framing her blushing face. 

“I’m ever so sorry for intruding,” she said. “I was told to come in.”

“Hey! She sounds like J.A.R.V.I.S!” Tony said with a grin, making Pepper cringe.

“Do you  _ have _ to say that to every British person you meet?” she muttered.

Tony nodded seriously. “Yes, I think I do.”

“Sorry about that, Miss Clearwater,” Pepper said with a sigh. “Tony was just leaving.” She gave him a gentle push towards the door. 

“It was, ah, nice to meet you, Mr Stark,” the girl said, her cheeks still red.

“Yeah, you too, kid,” he replied as Pepper continued to push him towards the door. “She’s adorable,” he whispered to her. “I want one.” Pepper narrowed her eyes at him. “Not like last time. I just want to, like, pat her on the head.

Pepper frowned. “She’s not a pet, Tony.” With a final push, she shut the door behind him.

At ten to four, Tony’s unwelcome guest arrived. 

“So, how was New Mexico?” he asked Agent Coulson as they made their way to his workshop.

“Oh, you know, the usual kind of thing,” the agent replied and that was where the conversation ended for a few minutes as they stood around awkwardly, waiting to see what would happen.

“You don’t have to be here, you know,” Coulson said as the time grew closer. 

“What and let you poke around in my stuff?” Tony responded. “Who are we waiting for anyway?”

“I can’t tell you that, Mr Stark.”

“Oh, you can’t tell the name of the guy you’ve invited into my home? That’s kinda rude. And just when I thought we were all starting to get along.” 

“Sir, Miss Potts is approaching,” J.A.R.V.I.S announced. 

Tony looked up in surprise; he wasn’t expecting Pepper for another couple of hours yet. For some reason, his security system faltered as she put in the code but the door opened nevertheless. 

“Hey, what happened?” Tony called. “Did you change your mind about adopting the she-J.A.R.V.I.S?”

Pepper smiled but ignored his remark and stopped in front of Coulson. “Agent Coulson, nice to see you again.” 

“And you, Miss Potts. How are – ” Coulson suddenly stopped speaking and looked rapidly between Pepper and the purse she was holding. A look of utter disbelief was on his face. “Wha- but... How? I don’t...”

“Er, what’s going on?” Tony asked, not comfortable with the way Coulson was looking at Pepper.

“J.A.R.V.I.S who did you say this was?” Coulson asked.

“It is Miss Potts.”

“Coulson, did you hit your head when you were in New Mexico?” Tony said. “Of course it’s Pepper.”

Coulson didn’t look convinced. “ _ Are _ you Pepper Potts?” he asked her. 

She smiled. “Now that would be telling, wouldn’t it?”

Tony paused, he was becoming more confused by the second. “Forget you - did  _ I _ bump my head at some point? J.A.R.V.I.S, call Pepper.” 

The dialling tone rang for a moment before a voice answered. “Hi, Tony. What is it?” It was Pepper’s voice all right but the Pepper standing a few feet away from him wasn’t holding a phone.

“Er, hi. Where are you?” Tony asked, his mouth strangely dry.

“I’m at work,” she replied. “What’s the matter? You don’t sound right.” 

“I – I’m fine. I’ll talk to you later.” He ended the call abruptly. “Okay, what in hell’s name is going on?” 

The faux-Pepper turned to Coulson. “Agent Coulson, could you please tell Director Fury to meet me back at that warehouse in an hour with the file he promised me.” 

“Ah, sure. You know, if that’s really you, you might just be the most extraordinary person I’ve ever met,” Coulson said, sounding amazed. 

“I take that as a great compliment considering who you came across in New Mexico,” the Pepper doppelgänger replied warmly. 

While the other two were talking like this was a relatively normal turn-of-events, Tony had taken the opportunity to covertly walk backwards to where his suits were waiting. As his latest suit started to fix itself into place around him, Coulson and non-Pepper looked over in surprise. 

“Look, I don’t know what the hell you are but I highly recommend you get out of my house before – “

But he never got the chance to say the rest of his threat because fake-Pepper fired something at him that promptly made his suit dismantle. Tony looked down at the pieces of his suit in disbelief. “Okay. Now I’m really pissed off.” He looked up at them but only Coulson remained there. “What the…? J.A.R.V.I.S where did she go?”

“Who, sir?”

“Pepper. Or the thing that looked like her.” 

“Miss Potts is no longer here, sir.”

“I can see that,” Tony snapped, scooping up parts of his suit. “How did she get out?” 

“No exit has been used, sir.” J.A.R.V.I.S replied. 

Tony put his head in his hands. This felt like the beginning of a migraine. He turned on Coulson. “Okay, I think it’s time I had some answers and don’t mess me around. I don’t think I’ve been this annoyed since…” he thought about it. “I don’t think I’ve  _ ever _ been this pissed off!”

Coulson held up his hands in the face of Tony’s fury. “Honestly, Stark, I know little more about her than you except that she seems young and English!”

Tony stared at him for a moment. “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me,” he muttered, going over to his workstation. 

“What are you doing?” Agent Coulson asked, coming to stand behind him as he typed rapidly into the computer.

Tony paused the security footage from Pepper’s office earlier in the day and pointed to the girl who’d had a three o’clock appointment. 

“Is that her?”

Coulson didn’t say anything but Tony could tell by his expression that it was. Tony scowled at her pretty little face.

He didn’t want to pat her on the head anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and supporting this fic - it means a lot to me.


	4. Chapter 4

“Someone’s had a fun couple of days,” Nick Fury greeted Hermione as she apparated into the warehouse. 

Hermione shrugged. “I don’t know if I’d call it fun but it was certainly more interesting than a normal day in the office.”

“Here,” he held out a folder to her. “You earned it.” 

“Thank you,” she said, taking and holding it against her chest. 

“No, thank  _ you _ . I’m gonna make sure Tony Stark never forgets that one of his suits was instantly dismantled by a slip of a thing like you,” Fury said, with the ghost of a grin floating across his lips. 

Hermione winced. “I shouldn’t have done that really. I never want to use my abilities on people who don’t have them, but the situation escalated rather quickly and that was the simplest way to diffuse it.” 

“You don’t have to explain yourself to me,” Fury replied, holding up his hands. “Nobody got hurt apart from Stark’s ego and that’s a good thing anyway. Am I allowed to ask how your deception was carried out? Was it a spell? A device?” 

“It was a, um, potion,” she replied hesitantly, unsure whether it was wise to reveal the information. 

“Potion, huh? You really are a witch. Do you have a cat and ride a broomstick, too?” he laughed at his own joke but stopped when he noticed her almost guilty expression. “Oh.” 

She cleared her throat. “Thank you again, for this,” she said, indicating the folder.

“There’s a contact in there,” Fury told her. “The person who told us about the nine realms theory in the first place. You might find it useful to talk to her; apparently she had more contact with Thor than anyone.”

“Thank you, Director.” She said and then paused. “You  _ do _ understand why I’ve been so reluctant to share anything with you, don’t you?” 

He appraised her with his one eye. “You have to protect your people, I get that. I do the same for mine. Only difference is I consider your people  _ my people _ too.” 

Hermione smiled gratefully and turned to leave.

“You know what the best way to protect them is, don’t you?” he said, making her turn back. “How to make sure you’re kept in the loop?” She looked at him quizzically. “Be  _ in _ the loop,” he explained, but as she still didn’t understand he continued, “Come work at S.H.I.E.L.D.” 

She felt her eyes widen. “You’re not serious?”

“Why not?” he countered. “Your abilities would easily make you the best asset the agency has ever had and I doubt I’ve even seen a fraction of what you can do.”

“It was dangerous enough to show you, Coulson and Stark as much as I have,” she protested. “You just said you understood the need for secrecy but that was obviously only words.”

“No, it wasn’t. We don’t have to reveal the truth about you,” Fury said. “We’d have to come up with some sort of story to explain your abilities but, given the number of people coming out of the woodwork at the moment, it wouldn’t take much for people to believe you act on your own. And as long as you don’t announce it to the world’s press like some idiot I know, then your secret would stay within S.H.I.E.L.D anyway.”

She stared at him, struck dumb by his proposal.

“The skills you have, the knowledge you possess - you could help an awful lot of people around the world, save countless lives. Don’t tell me that’s not something you’re interested in.”

“I -,” she stammered. “I’m not the one you want. There are others-”

“No,” Fury interrupted. “You were chosen by your people for a reason. I’ve seen you in action and, more importantly, so have Coulson and Stark. If we use someone else, they’ll know there’s more than one person like you.”

“My friends at home,” she said. “I couldn’t just leave them.”

“It’s a big decision, I know. But somehow I don’t think it would take too much effort for you to go home to visit them whenever you wanted given your abilities,” Fury pointed out.

Hermione couldn’t believe that she was actually considering working with muggles, allowing them to see her abilities. It completely went against the Statute of Secrecy. Unless, as Fury suggested, they lie about where her magic came from... 

“The one who sent me here, I’d have to talk to him,” she said. “I don’t know what he’d make of your suggestion.”

“Do as you must,” he replied. “Sleep on it and let me know. I’m sure you’ll find a way of contacting me when you’ve made your decision. Either way, it’s been most interesting to meet you, Hermione Granger.” 

He held out a glove-covered hand. Hermione shook it. “And you, Director Fury.”

* * *

“You do realise that if you accept this job and it all goes wrong we will both be in a serious amount of trouble,” Kingsley said, his voice sounding even more serious than normal. 

Hermione wearily rubbed one of her temples. “You don’t have to tell me that, Minister. I’ve been awake all night considering the possible repercussions and worst case scenarios of a decision like this.”

“And what did you foresee?”

“Well,” she said, shifting on her seat. “If the wrong muggles find out about me, then I could end up in a top secret scientific lab and be subjected to various experiments that I doubt I’ll particularly enjoy. Or if the magical community discovers how seriously I’ve broken the Statute of Secrecy, I expect I’d have to serve a life term prison sentence in our lovely new-look Azkaban, or have my memory modified and be exiled to a desolate part of the world to live out the rest of my days in isolation, in complete ignorance of my past life.”

“Sounds cheery,” Kingsley deadpanned. 

“Quite,” Hermione replied. She sounded calm but inside her heart was beating rapidly and fear was creeping along her nerves. “And if the worst should happen and the muggles become completely aware of magic worldwide, then I imagine some very scared muggle governments would declare war upon their own countries and there would be a world war unlike any earth has seen before. Quite simply, it would be the end of our lives as we know them.”

“Hmm,” Kingsley’s voice rumbled. “And the best case scenarios, did you think about those as well?”

“Not as much,” she admitted. “But it mainly involved saving innocent people’s lives whilst letting the magical community exist as they have always done.”

Kingsley nodded at her words. “It is quite the dilemma. Or, at least it would have been, if we had not already opened that door.”

Hermione looked at him in surprise. “Sir?”

Kinglsey placed a comforting hand upon her own. “Come now, Hermione, are you really telling me that in your heart you have not already decided upon your answer?”

“I, I don’t know,” she stuttered, shaking her head. “I thought that you would tell me what to do.”

The Minister chuckled. “The Director of S.H.I.E.L.D did not make this offer to me,” he pointed out. 

“But I was sent to represent  _ you  _ and your ministry _ , _ ” she argued. “I wouldn’t accept this proposal without your backing.”

“Hermione, do you honestly think I’d let you work with these people if I didn’t want you to?” he asked exasperatedly.

“No, I suppose not,” she muttered, finally allowing herself to accept what answer she was going to give the Director. 

“I will do my best to cover your tracks from this end,” Kingsley assured her. “We’ll come up with a cover story for your long absences, but you are aware that you still can’t tell Weasley or Potter anything about this, aren’t you?”

Hermione’s heart sank. She knew that was coming but hearing it confirmed still hurt. She wasn’t looking forward to telling Ron about this at all. However, she was reasonably confident that their relationship would survive the long-distance separation – they’d managed it while she completed her seventh year at Hogwarts after all. 

“Yes, sir, I know.” 

* * *

“You’ve got a new job? Congratulations!” Ron pulled her into a quick hug. “That’s great!” he said with a grin and then frowned. “Why don’t you look happy?”

Hermione took a deep breath and took one of his hands in her own. “Because it’s a long-term, worldwide animal study.” She could already feel the lie twisting in her gut. “I would be away for days at a time.”

Ron’s hand went limp in her grasp. “Oh.” 

“I haven’t given an answer yet because I wanted to talk to you first,” she said.

Ron nodded solemnly. “But you want to take it, don’t you?”

“It’s a great opportunity for me,” she admitted, preferring to look at his hand rather than meet his gaze. “And I think that I’ll really be able to make a difference.”

“Uh, wow. Ok, well, when would you start?” he asked.

Hermione bit her lip. “Pretty much straight away,” she answered. “Look, I know it’s a bit of a stunning spell but we’ve done long-distance before and we got through it. My portkey licence is pretty flexible so I can come home a lot.” 

Ron opened his mouth to speak but changed his mind and closed it again.

“You’re not mad at me, are you?” 

“No, of course not!” he objected. “You and I have always done what we’ve thought is best for our careers. I mean, we didn’t agree about going back to Hogwarts but we were mature enough to respect each other’s decision.” 

Hermione threw her arms around his shoulders and squeezed him tightly. “Thank you. I love you.”

“I love you too,” he replied, returning the embrace.

* * *

Nick Fury glanced up from the digital file he was perusing at his desk. “So, have you decided whether Agent Granger has a nice ring to it or not?” he asked his sudden guest.

Hermione nodded. “It has a certain appeal but I do come with some conditions.”

Fury switched off the file and put it to one side. “I wouldn’t expect anything less. Take a seat.”

She glanced around the room. “Is this a secure area?”

“Yes,” he replied confidently.

“Do you mind if I add a little security of my own?” she asked, taking out her wand. “It might make your electrical settings go a bit strange; magic and muggle technology doesn’t always get on.”

Fury waved his hand dismissively. “Go ahead.” 

Hermione muttered a few choice spells while Fury watched in fascination as little bursts of light hit various points in his office. “There, done,” she announced, taking the seat that had been offered. “Now, firstly, I need to know who is aware of the truth about me.”

“I’m the only one who knows about you personally,” he replied. “But there are the agents who sent me the intel on your kind.”

“They won’t be an issue?”

“No,” Fury replied flatly. “They’re both dead.” 

“What!” Hermione gasped.

“An occupational hazard when you specialize in recon.”

“I, I see,” she stammered, somewhat shocked at his matter of fact tone. “Is there anyone else?” 

“The World Security Council were made aware of unexplained happenings in the UK but as we were unable to find any more intelligence or contact anyone on your side that was as much as they were told.”

“And who exactly are the World Security Council?”

“An international organization with many aims,” he replied. “But they are the people I answer to.” 

“And will you have to tell them about me?” Hermione asked nervously.

“I’ll tell them your cover story.”

“But not the truth?” she enquired. “Why not?”

“Honestly, Granger, I expect that would only make things a hell of a lot worse for us both.”

“Oh,” she said in surprise. “You’re showing an awful lot of faith in me considering we only met a few days ago.”

“It’s a gut feeling,” Fury shrugged. “And your reference wasn’t too bad either.” 

Hermione’s eyebrows drew together in confusion. “What reference?”

“You didn’t know anything about it?” he asked but she shook her head. “I would show it to you but it burst into flames about ten seconds after I read it. It was initialled with the letters KS. Does that mean anything to you?”

Hermione pursed her lips and nodded. She was surprised that Kingsley would take the risk in sending something directly to S.H.I.E.L.D. 

“Well, whoever they were, they gave about as much away as you normally do so don’t worry about anything specific being divulged. It was more a summary of your qualities and achievements: loyal, trustworthy, resourceful, diligent.” Hermione could feel her cheeks reddening as Fury reeled off the list from memory. “Brightest of your kind for about fifty years and experienced in dangerous situations from a young age,” he finished. “Just how young are we talking here?”

She tensed, as she nearly always did when he asked her a question but reasoned that it was not a potentially perilous answer. “Twelve.”

Fury nodded slowly. “Wanna give me any details?”

“Nope,” she replied shortly. She almost felt bad that she was leaving him in the dark so much but there really wasn’t a need for him to know about the past. Voldemort was gone, as well as a vast majority of his Death Eaters. The magical world was not a threat to muggles and that was all the Director needed to know for now. “If there is something that I believe you should be made aware of then, believe me, I’ll tell you. I’ll help you to save lives, I’ll lend you a bit of magical assistance in terms of healing and defence, but the sources of that knowledge will not pass my lips under any circumstances. If I find that you’ve attempted to use anything magic-related without my approval, then I’ll make sure that you and everyone at S.H.I.E.L.D never know you’d even heard of me. And believe me when I say that’s entirely possible.”

Fury scowled slightly. “That won’t be necessary, I’ll make sure of it.” 

Hermione nodded. “Good. And in terms of your secrets, how much am I allowed to know?”

“The majority of new agents would start with Level One clearance,” Fury told her, but he shrugged his shoulders. “As we’ve already established, you’re  _ not _ in the majority. Given what you know about New Mexico and key S.H.I.E.L.D locations, I would say that easily qualifies you for Level Five. If the next couple of months go well, I’ll move you to Six. If I move you too high too fast, it’ll raise questions that neither of us will want to answer.” 

She thought that sounded reasonable given how recently they had started working together. She didn’t doubt that she was going to be attracting attention to herself but there had to be a sensible way to go about it. “Thank you. And can I ask exactly what you have planned for me in the coming weeks?”

He appraised her with his single eye. “How do you feel about hard work?”

She felt her lips twitch into a smile and a slight pulse of excitement tingled along her nerves. “There’s nothing I love better.”

* * *

“Sir, Miss Potts is approaching,” J.A.R.V.I.S announced, causing Tony to glance up from where he was working. 

“You know, I’m not sure I’m ever going to believe you when you say that anymore,” he replied, recalling yesterday’s strange incident. 

Pepper (or who he assumed was Pepper) walked into the lab carrying what looked suspiciously like a white box for a cake. “Hi,” she greeted with a smile. “Someone left this outside for you.”

“What and you just carried it in?” Tony asked in surprise. “What if there’s a bomb in there or something?”

Pepper rolled her eyes. “No one’s going to leave a bomb on your doorstep.” 

“How do you know? Have you opened it?” he retorted.

“No, it’s addressed to you,” she replied, handing him an envelope that had been resting on top. “Maybe the bomb’s in there instead,” she joked. 

If there hadn’t been a number of threats to his life in the last couple of years, Tony would’ve opened the letter and box without fear, but it was better to be safe than have your hands blown off. “J.A.R.V.I.S, scan the box and envelope,” he ordered. 

“The box contains a chocolate cake with the word ‘Sorry’ iced on top,” J.A.R.V.I.S answered. 

“ _ Sorry _ ?” Pepper repeated with a frown. “Since when has someone had to apologise to you and not the other way round?”

Tony was about to make a witty reply but the envelope started quivering in his hands. He dropped it in surprise and moved backwards a couple of steps, dragging Pepper with him. The envelope raised itself off the floor and floated in mid-air in front of them, showing the reverse side. A couple of slits formed where the final flap had been folded to become what looked very much like a pair of eyes and a small wax seal had formed into lips. 

Tony hadn’t been this perplexed since… yesterday. He scowled as a voice with an English-accent radiated from the envelope.

“Good evening, Mr Stark. I wanted to apologise for the events of yesterday evening. I would never normally enter someone else’s home uninvited, particularly under a false identity, but I had a point to prove to the Director. I would like to reassure you that, despite me impersonating someone close to you and dismantling your Iron Man suit, I mean you no harm. Please accept the cake as a gesture of goodwill and I hope that should we ever meet in the future it will be on good terms.” This astonishing speech was followed by the envelope bursting into flames.

Pepper turned to him with an accusatory stare. “So, I guess there’s something you’ve neglected to tell me.”

Tony glared at the small pile of ash on his floor. He wasn’t in a particularly forgiving mood at that moment. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I checked

Natasha looked up at the sound of approaching footsteps. “Fury wants to see you, too?” she asked Coulson. He nodded amiably in response as he came to stand next to her in one of the Triskelion’s many training rooms, which was empty apart from themselves. “Any idea what this is about?” 

“Considering the unusual events of the last couple of weeks I wouldn’t feel confident in making a prediction,” he replied in an amused tone.

A door opened to their far right and Director Fury entered, followed by a slender young woman that Natasha didn’t recognise.

“Ah, this should be interesting,” Coulson muttered. 

“You know her?” Natasha asked.

“We’ve met three or four times,” he replied simply, “but I can honestly say that what I know about her barely scratches the surface.”

Intrigued, Natasha turned back to the newcomer. The girl looked fairly ordinary: light brown, shoulder length hair and a pretty, delicate face. She wore a simple pair of black, cotton pants and a cream blouse with a light, silver scarf draped around her neck. She showed a couple of hints of nervousness but, on the whole, she seemed quite comfortable in Fury’s presence and that was quite telling. If you observed the Director walk amongst any S.H.I.E.L.D. employees, you would witness a lot of anxious men and women dreading that he should find anything he disapproved of. He was their boss, after all; one of the most powerful men in the world. Either this young woman wasn’t aware of Fury’s job description (which was unlikely considering that she was at S.H.I.E.L.D headquarters) or it simply didn’t intimidate her.

“Agent Coulson, Agent Romanoff,” Fury greeted when they were a few feet away. “I’d like you to meet Hermione Granger, S.H.I.E.L.D’s latest recruit.” 

Coulson walked forward eagerly with his arm outstretched. “Great to have you on board, Granger. I’m looking forward to seeing what other surprises you’ve got in store.”

The girl, Granger, shook his hand with a warm smile while Natasha tried not to look too curious about Coulson’s words.

“Natasha Romanoff,” she introduced herself, settling for a nod of the head instead of a handshake.

“Agent Romanoff is up there with the best operatives S.H.I.E.L.D. has ever seen,” Fury told Granger. Some people might feel embarrassed or smug to receive such praise but Natasha knew that the Director was just stating a fact. “That’s why she and Coulson are the ones that are going to train you.” 

Three mildly surprised expressions focused on Nick Fury. 

“The whole package?” Coulson asked.

“Yep,” Fury replied. “And accelerated, too. There’s no point in keeping someone with your talents under wraps for long,” he said to Granger, “not when you could make such a difference.”

Natasha appraised Granger again. Both Coulson and the Director seemed impressed by her but, from the outside, Natasha could see nothing that would indicate any extraordinary skills.

“I hope I can live up to your expectations, Director,” Granger said, her accent unmistakably English. 

Natasha cleared her throat. “Sir, if I might have a word with you in private?”

Fury’s lips pulled down slightly but he indicated that she walk with him away from Granger and Coulson. When they were out of immediate earshot, he said, “Speak, Agent.”

“With all due respect, sir, I think I have been mis-assigned for this task,” Natasha stated as diplomatically as she could. “As you said, I am one of your top agents but I’m  _ not _ a teacher.”

“You are now,” Fury replied, leaving no room for argument. 

“Yes, sir,” she responded instinctively, masking her disappointment at being landed with Granger. It was nothing personal against the girl but Natasha had never pictured herself in the nurturing, mentor role – her skills were much better suited to field work. 

“And with all due respect to  _ you _ , Agent Romanoff, you have no idea what I’ve dropped at your feet,” the Director pointed out, sounding somewhat amused. Natasha watched in surprise as Fury removed a gun from inside his leather coat and turned around to train it at Granger. “Think fast, Agent Granger,” he called to get her attention. 

Natasha saw the girl’s eyes widen in shock before two loud cracks echoed around the room and Granger was nowhere to be seen. Natasha gasped and Coulson looked quite stunned from where he had thrown himself to the floor, but his eyes were looking at Fury rather than the spot from where Granger had disappeared.

“A little more notice next time would be appreciated,” an understandably irked voice came from behind them. Natasha spun around to find Granger looking remarkably composed for someone who had travelled across the room in the blink of an eye. 

“I was trying to make a point,” Fury explained, not sounding particularly apologetic.

Granger frowned. “And did you?”

Fury raised an enquiring eyebrow at Natasha. 

“Point made,” she conceded. Being able to teleport was a huge advantage in their line of work and Natasha was eager to know how Granger did it. However, if Fury wanted herself and Coulson to know then she trusted that he would tell them; there seemed little point in asking.

“As much as I love being utterly clueless about everything to do with you,” Coulson announced, getting to his feet and straightening his clothes, “It might be useful to have a bit of background information if we’re going to be working so closely together.” 

Natasha almost smiled at Coulson’s contradiction to her thoughts but paid close attention, keen as she was to know the answers too. 

Granger shrugged, seemingly at ease. “What do you want to know?” 

Coulson looked slightly taken aback at her openness. 

“How were you able to travel like that across this room?” Natasha asked. “Was it technology, medical experimentation - ”

“Genetics,” she interrupted. “I was born with my abilities, like my mother and her mother before her, and so on and so on for as long as we can trace.” 

Natasha frowned. “Abili _ ties _ ? What else can you do?” 

“As arrogant as it sounds, I think the better question might be, what  _ can’t _ I do?” Granger said as she withdrew a long thin stick from the sleeve of her blouse. “Over the generations, we have found ways to use our gift to achieve many different tasks.” 

The way she held the stick in her grasp strongly brought an image to Natasha’s mind that seemed almost preposterous. 

“This might seem like a stupid question,” Coulson began, focused on the stick too, “but is that a  _ wand _ ?”

Granger smiled and nodded. 

“A  _ magic _ wand?” Natasha asked dryly, folding her arms. Yes, she was right, this was absurd.

“The fairy tale stories had to originate from somewhere, didn’t they?” Granger explained, waving her wand and making a large, red settee appear behind her. A couple more flicks and a second settee, a coffee table and a tray of tea things materialised into existence too. Granger seated herself, pouring out a cup of amber liquid and was quickly joined by the Director. Natasha and Coulson sat rather more tentatively, running their hands over the fabric. It felt as real as any piece of furniture Natasha had ever sat on which was somewhat alarming. “My mother and grandmother always told me that despite our gift, the best remedy for shock is a cup of tea,” Granger said calmly, handing a mug to the Director as though conjuring tea out of thin air was something completely ordinary. She raised the silver teapot in their direction.

“Why not?” Coulson said. “I want to know what magic tea tastes like.” 

“I’m sorry to disappoint you, Agent Coulson, but there’s nothing magical about the tea itself, it was just brought here by magical means,” Granger told him, passing him a cream-coloured ceramic cup.

“I’ll pass,” Natasha muttered when Granger looked her way and the girl set the teapot down gently. 

If the reason behind Granger’s unique gifts truly was genetics, Natasha wondered if samples of her DNA were even now being experimented on. Any government in the world would pay billions to create their own genetic super-humans. Granger seemed like a pleasant girl, possibly too nice for the world of S.H.I.E.L.D., but there was the possibility that someone with her abilities could use them for less savoury means than a cup of tea. She was an asset, yes - incredibly so - but just like Stark’s technology or Banner’s serum, if she fell into the wrong hands then the consequences could be catastrophic. 

“I got in contact with the Director after I saw what happened in New York over the last few days,” Granger explained after a small sip of tea. “Most of the time my family have been more than happy to keep our secrets to ourselves, but we have a long tradition of offering our assistance when we feel it is particularly needed.” She frowned, obviously not happy with her wording and quickly added, “Not that S.H.I.E.L.D. can’t cope without me or anything, it just feels like our world is going through a transition and, from what I’ve read, those can be the most dangerous of times.” She blushed slightly at her gabbling and took another sip of tea.

_ Too nice _ , Natasha thought again. 

“You have no siblings?” Coulson asked, sounding slightly disappointed. 

Granger shook her head. “Only child. That tradition has been around as long as our gift: one child, and it’s always a girl.” 

“Sure makes decorating the bedroom before the baby arrives a lot simpler,” the Director joked, setting his empty mug on the table. “Anyway, for now, you’re the only ones who know about Miss Granger. There’s no way we can keep this a secret once she’s out on assignment but to avoid her training sessions becoming like a zoo exhibition the magic is classified; no one need know we have a sorceress in S.H.I.E.L.D.” 

“Sorceress? Is that the official term?” Natasha asked.

“That’s what we’ve always used,” Granger replied with a slight shrug of her shoulders. 

“And it will also serve as her codename for the foreseeable future,” Fury said, getting to his feet. “I expect to have your initial assessments by the end of the day. Thanks for the tea, Granger.” 

“You’re welcome, sir,” she replied as they watched the Director walk away and then she turned eagerly to the two experienced agents. “So, where do we start?”

* * *

Hermione collapsed into her bed, somewhat embarrassed that it was only 6pm here on the East Coast. In London it was 11pm, which was a more reasonable bedtime, but she hadn’t really had much time to get her body used to her new surroundings, not to mention that she’d had a pretty full-on day. 

The cover story seemed to have been accepted by Coulson and Romanoff, which was a huge relief. She grimaced at the number of lies she’d told them but that was a feeling she’d have to get used to if she was going to be a part of S.H.I.E.L.D’s operations. However, if her trainers’ expressions were anything to go by, she doubted she’d be seeing any active work for a while now. Sure, her magic was extremely helpful but she was severely lacking in a lot of other basic areas. Her technological skills were almost non-existent, something that Coulson called a rarity for someone of her age in these times. She had no experience of driving, though she had been tempted to say she could fly a broomstick just to see the looks on their faces. 

She  _ did _ have experience in surveillance and disguise thanks to her, Harry and Ron’s infiltrations of the Ministry and Gringotts (not that she could tell them any of that) but she’d be the first to admit that they’d got away with those break-ins by the skins of their teeth. Some professional insight would be very useful. Hermione was very happy to learn everything she could until they turned their attention to weapons and hand-to-hand combat. Again, she had to lie about her experience by telling them that any offensive and defensive spells she had cast had been done so for practice purposes only. 

“Is there a killing spell?” Romanoff had asked bluntly.

“Yes,” Hermione replied, feeling uneasy.

“And would you use it?” the Agent continued.

“No, of course not!” Hermione objected. She couldn’t tell how Agent Romanoff felt about that answer. 

“All right, let’s pretend that your position has been compromised and this man,” Romanoff indicated Coulson, “is about to shoot you. What do you do?” 

“Do you want me to tell you or show you?” Hermione asked, looking between the two of them.

“Will it hurt?” Coulson asked.

“No.”

“Then do it,” he insisted.

Hermione ignored the guilty sensation of attacking an unarmed muggle, and sent a non-verbal stunning spell his way. The red light hit him in the chest and he crumpled to the floor. 

Romanoff walked over to him to check his vitals. 

“It’s called a stunning spell,” Hermione explained. “He’ll wake up naturally in a few minutes or I can revive him myself.” 

“You can wake people from unconsciousness?”

Hermione crouched next to Coulson too. “Yes, if it was brought about magically. Otherwise it’s safer not to in case the brain’s not ready.  _ Ennervate _ .”

The serene expression on Coulson’s face became creased then he opened his eyes. “Well, that seems like a pretty good method to start with,” he muttered, sitting up. “I take it you’ve got other tricks up your sleeve?”

Hermione nodded. 

“That’s all well and good, but what if you drop your wand or it breaks and you can’t cast any spells?” Natasha queried. “What will you do then?”

Hermione twisted her body and disapparated to the other side of the room. “I don’t need my wand to do that.” 

They surveyed her for a moment and then Coulson got to his feet. “Can you do that if someone’s holding on to you, pinning you down?”

“No,” Hermione admitted with a small shake of her head. “They’d be carried with me wherever I went, but that’s obviously a benefit if I wanted to move someone.”

“You can teleport others at the same time?” Romanoff asked, sounding surprised.

Hermione jogged back over to them. “Yes. Do you want to try it?”

“Sure,” Coulson agreed eagerly but Romanoff looked less keen.

“Just across the room?” she checked.

“Okay,” Hermione agreed. “Just to warn you, it’ll feel uncomfortable, like you’re being squeezed, but it’s not painful.” She took each agent by the hand, concentrating hard.

“All right, I’ll admit that was pretty incredible,” Romanoff gasped when they reappeared on the other side of the room. “But you’re going to need the hand-to-hand training nonetheless – your powers don’t make you invincible.” 

Hermione had agreed though she doubted that she’d be much good at physically fighting anyone. What she’d been less keen on was Romanoff’s suggestion that she learn to handle different weapons.

“It is our job to make sure that you are prepared for any situation,” Coulson had explained. “I know guns, knives and explosives can sound scary, but it would be more dangerous if we didn’t teach you about those things and let you come across them on assignment. We’re not training you to be a killer; we’re training you to  _ survive _ .” 

Hermione wanted to believe him. 

As she brought her focus back from her earlier training, she forced herself into a sitting position and took an electrical report from her bedside table. There was no point in going to sleep already so she might as well start doing the background reading into S.H.I.E.L.D’s history that Fury had given her access to. 

“The Strategic Scientific Reserve,” she read out loud, rubbing her eyes. “Sounds interesting.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's not known for certain whether you always need a wand to apparate/disapparate so I've decided that Hermione, as a particularly capable witch, is capable of wandless apparating! 
> 
> Thanks for the reading, kudos and comments so far!
> 
> Lil Drop of Magic


	6. Chapter 6

Coulson managed to avoid wincing at the audible crack that came from somewhere amidst the tangle of limbs that was Agent Romanoff and Hermione. A hiss came from Hermione’s lips and her body became limp as she mentally disengaged from the fight. 

“What are you doing?” Natasha muttered, sweeping her red hair away from her eyes. 

“I think you broke my finger,” Hermione replied through gritted teeth. She got to her feet, cradling her left hand to her chest protectively.

“So?” Natasha queried, still crouched in a semi-defensive position. 

Hermione walked over to where she’d put her wand for safe-keeping and tapped the broken digit with it. “It hurt. Besides, I needed to fix it before it got more damaged,” she explained. Coulson added Hermione’s ability to fix broken bones to his mental list of her powers.

“Are you kidding me?” Natasha stood, crossing her arms across her chest. “You think your opponent’s going to stop mid-fight to let you patch yourself up?”

“No, but – ”

“But, nothing,” Romanoff snapped. “Bones break, muscles tear, skin rips and bleeds. Get used to it, Granger, that’s why we’re doing this - so you know how to handle it when it happens for real.” 

Hermione nodded solemnly and put her wand back down. “I’m sorry.” 

“I don’t need you to be sorry, I need you to re-break your finger so that we can carry on where you left off,” Natasha instructed coldly.

Hermione blinked in surprise and looked over in his direction but he held up his hands. “She’s the expert in combat, not me.” 

The girl took a deep breath through her nostrils and picked up her wand, before holding it against the same finger. There was another small crack as the bone broke again but a small shudder was the only sign Hermione showed at the pain. 

“Good,” Romanoff said, “now I’ll show you how to try and avoid impact to damaged parts of your body during combat.”

By the time the session was finished twenty minutes later, a couple of tear tracks lined Hermione’s cheeks but she hadn’t raised a single objection. 

“Fix yourself up,” Natasha ordered. “We’ll look at the case study in Phnom Penh in ten minutes.” Hermione nodded and turned away. Coulson nudged Natasha with his shoulder and she rolled her eyes at him. “You did well,” she called after Hermione’s retreating figure.

The girl paused and looked over her shoulder. “Thank you,” she mumbled, before continuing on.

Natasha shot him a disapproving look. “I’m not being too hard,” she insisted in response to his non-verbal communication. “My training was ten times worse than hers. If  _ I’d _ tried to pull out mid-fight I would have had to be peeled off of the floor by the end of it.” 

“Hermione’s not you,” Coulson reminded her.

“Exactly. That’s why I only broke her finger and not a rib,” Natasha retorted, taking a swig of water. “I won’t deny that she’s a hard worker but she needs to toughen up if she’s going to survive in our sort of world. Whatever Fury’s got planned for her, it’s not going to be sunshine and daisies.” 

Coulson glanced up at Hermione. She seemed to have a bit more colour in her cheeks and she kept flexing the fingers on her left wrist as she read some sort of report while waiting for their next session to start. He wasn’t particularly surprised. Whenever there was a free moment from training, she had her eyes glued to some book or tablet researching God knew what. Her appetite for absorbing information was coming in good use in her training sessions though. She had memorised dozens of case studies from S.H.I.E.L.D’s past, was picking up all the technical terms and acronyms that they used, had vastly improved her computing skills and could recognise an increasing number of weapons and devices. She was also a couple of days away from being given a S.H.I.E.L.D-issued driving permit. Not bad for just a couple of weeks. 

His phone vibrated in his pocket. “Coulson,” he greeted, bringing the phone swiftly to his ear. 

“Agent Coulson? It’s Pepper, Pepper Potts.” 

Coulson raised his hand to Romanoff, indicating he would be gone for about five minutes, then he turned to leave. “What can I do for you, Ms Potts? I hope nothing’s amiss.” 

“No, not really,” Pepper’s voice replied. “Well, not majorly. It’s not an emergency or anything. It’s, um, well, it’s complicated because I’m not really supposed to know.”

“Ms Potts?” Phil prompted, at a bit of a loss as to what she was talking about.

“It’s that girl,” she admitted. “The one who broke into Tony’s lab and ruined his suit.”

Coulson paused. Should he deny any knowledge of that? Hermione’s existence was still more or less classified after all. 

“What about her?” he asked, hoping that his instincts about Pepper being trustworthy weren’t wrong.

“Well, ever since she vanished out of his lab he hasn’t been quite the same.”

“In what way?”

“He’s confused, easily irritated and spending inordinate amounts of time working on who knows what,” Pepper explained, her voice becoming slightly emotional. “He won’t admit that she’s gotten under his skin but I know that she’s the cause.”

Coulson frowned. “What do you want me to do about it?”

“Maybe give Tony more information about her or how she does those impossible things?” Pepper asked hopefully. “I know that he’s tried to trace her but he knows next to nothing about her except that she’s had dealings with S.H.I.E.L.D. Could you give me an address, telephone number, contact or anything?” 

“I’m sorry, Ms Potts but you know that I can’t. That’s not my decision to make,” he admitted.

Pepper sighed. “No, I understand.”

“But I will forward your requests to the right person and see what I can do,” he offered. He knew full well what an asshole Tony Stark could be when he was in a  _ good _ mood, let alone when he was unhappy.

“ _ Really? _ Thank you, Agent Coulson, you have no idea how grateful I am.”

“No problem, Ms Potts. I’ll be in touch.” 

Phil ended the call with a sigh. He’d told Pepper that he’d go to the ‘right person’ but did that mean going to the Director or Hermione herself?

* * *

“How’s the finger?” Fury asked when he entered Hermione’s apartment that evening.

She frowned slightly. “You heard about that?”

“Romanoff makes you break your own finger? Of course I heard about that,” he scoffed. “Just be glad it wasn’t your leg.”

Hermione shrugged. “Don’t worry, I think that’s what she has planned for next lesson.” Fury laughed, whether she meant it as a joke or not. “What can I do for you, sir?”

“We’ve had a request for information about you,” he told her.

“From whom?” she asked, looking surprised. 

“Pepper Potts on behalf of Tony Stark,” he explained.

“Oh,” her eyes widened and she bit her lip. “Well, I can understand that. I did drop a few bombshells on him before I disapparated.”

“True,” he agreed. “But I don’t know if Stark’s ready for the truth yet. Well, our version of the truth, anyway. Coulson and Romanoff already knew about the events in New Mexico before they met you and I think that eased their shock at finding out about magic. Stark, though. Who knows how he’ll react?”

“Perhaps he’ll be relieved,” she suggested. “I know that if someone offered me a solution to a problem that I couldn’t comprehend then I would be glad. It certainly calmed me when I found out that all the strange things I could do were due to magic.”

Fury considered her thoughtfully. So she hadn’t always been aware that she was a witch? That was another interesting piece to add to the puzzle. 

“All right,” he conceded. Secretly, he was glad. If his ‘Avengers plan’ was ever to come to fruition he needed the people involved to at least partially get along. If Coulson’s description of Stark’s mood after Granger had left his lab was at all accurate, then Fury knew that she was definitely not Stark’s favourite person. “We’ll set up a meeting. Just you and Stark.”

“You don’t think he would show more caution if there were normal civilians present, like in a café or bar?” she suggested.

Fury let out a bark of laughter. “He doesn’t know the meaning of the word ‘caution’,” he claimed. “And you’d be hard pressed to take Stark anywhere without him instantly being recognised. You wouldn’t get a second of privacy. Don’t worry,” he added, seeing the frown on her face. “We’ll find the right place. The most important thing is that Stark comes away from the meeting with a more positive opinion of you. It’ll make things easier in the future.”

“Why? What’s going to happen in the future?” she asked curiously.

Fury shrugged. “How the hell should I know?”

* * *

“Hermione,” Pepper repeated with a soft smile. “That’s a pretty name.”

“Thank you, Ms Potts,” she replied, feeling somewhat awkward after their previous meeting. “I’d just like to apologise again for wasting your time when I was here last and, er, borrowing your identity.”

Pepper waved her hand. “And I told you that your apology was accepted. As long as you don’t do it again, I’ll try to forget it ever happened. Now, please, call me Pepper.”

Hermione nodded, taking the seat in Pepper’s office that was being indicated. “Of course, Pepper. Agent Coulson sends his regards. He would have liked to have come too but he was required in Fayetteville.”

“That’s a pity,” Pepper replied, leaning slightly against her desk. “I definitely owe him a favour for getting in contact with you; Tony’s been driving me absolutely crazy. Oh, he’ll be along in a minute,” she added, seeing a curious expression on Hermione’s face.

Hermione felt Pepper’s heavy gaze trying to figure her out. “I guess I left him a bit perplexed.”

“Just a little,” Pepper agreed with a raised eyebrow. “Although he tried to keep it to himself at first. Your cake and floating message kind of let the cat out of the bag.”

“Ah,” Hermione said. “Yes, that probably wasn’t my cleverest idea. I just know that sometimes the written word can be misinterpreted much more easily than if someone is speaking. I didn’t want Mr Stark to think I was mocking him.” 

Pepper laughed. “That’s very sweet of you but it just goes to show how different you and Tony are; mockery is his natural conversational tone.”

Hermione smiled. “So I’ve heard.”

The office door was opened with a flourish and Pepper rose quickly to meet Tony at the door. “He- _ eyy _ ,” he greeted, drawing out the word when he caught sight of Hermione. He looked rather shocked to see her there.

“Tony, this is Hermione,” Pepper introduced hurriedly. “Have a nice chat.” Then to both Hermione and Tony’s surprise she darted out of the room and closed the door, the lock clicking behind her. 

“I take it you didn’t know about this,” Hermione said, getting to her feet.

“Oh, no, this is the face of a man who knew he was going to be having a meeting with an impossible girl,” Tony replied dryly. “And I assume that is  _ your _ actual face, not another identity that you’ve stolen.”

She flushed at his words. “No, Mr Stark, this is me, Hermione Granger.” He stared at her for a while but she met his gaze, determined to show that although she was apologetic, she wasn’t intimidated by him. “I was given to understand that you might have some questions about what happened when we last met.”

He cast his gaze around the room, as though thinking, before returning it back to her. “Nope.”

Hermione narrowed her eyes slightly. “Is that so?”

“Quite  _ so _ ,” he replied mockingly. “ _ So _ if you could kindly be on your way, I’m sure a locked door isn’t too much trouble for you.”

She wasn’t sure if he was trying to save face because he believed her to be technologically capable of things he was unable to, or he was just being stubborn, but she hadn’t come all this way for him to just dismiss her. Besides, Fury and Pepper were counting on her to make the situation better. “So you don’t want to know how I can do this?” she asked, apparating to the other side of the office. 

“Kid, let me give you a bit of advice if you want to make it in this world,” he offered patronizingly. “Don’t share your secrets with your rivals; there’s no honour amongst entrepreneurs.”

“But I’m not your rival,” she insisted, “and I’m certainly not an entrepreneur.” He didn’t look particularly convinced. “Mr Stark, S.H.I.E.L.D. have given me my own codename and it’s actually completely accurate.” She paused and took out her wand from her inside jacket. “It’s  _ Sorceress _ .”

He looked between her face and the wand a couple of times. “Pepper!” Tony called, banging on the door. “You’ve locked me in with a crazy person!”

Hermione tried not to roll her eyes. “I understand that magic is a difficult concept to take in, Mr Stark, but I assure you that I’m telling the truth. Here,” she picked up a glass paper weight from Pepper’s desk and, after a couple of seconds of concentration, transfigured it into a white, fluffy kitten. When she held it out to him he backed away holding his hands up.

“Ah, no. I don’t like to be handed things as a general rule,” he explained. Hermione couldn’t hide her disdain this time as she placed the small kitten next to his feet. “Especially pieces of glass that now have fur,” he scooped it up and it let out a high-pitched squeak. “And make cute noises.”

“Can you feel that heartbeat?” she asked. “The way its chest moves in and out as it breathes? How do you explain that?” 

Tony looked musingly at the little cat in his hand. “Am I on drugs? Did someone lace my coffee with LSD or am I just dreaming?”

“My ability lies in a genetic mutation,” she explained, trying to put her magic into a context that he’d understand. “It’s passed from the women in my family from one generation to the next. I’m not a scientist but I believe it’s something to do with the mito-”

“-Mitochondrial DNA,” he interrupted, handing the kitten back. “That makes sense if it passes from mother to child. But it only goes to daughters?”

Hermione shrugged, the lies rolling off of her tongue almost easily now. “There has never been a male child in our lineage; only one girl child per mother.” She tapped the kitten with her wand, returning it to its previous glass structure. 

“Shame, I liked Barry,” he said, indicating the paper weight.

“Barry?”

“That was his name. Well, the name I gave him.” 

“It was a girl,” Hermione pointed out.

“And?”

She shook her head. “I thought you’d be a bit more interested in the magic.”

“Right, yes, magic.” He rubbed his hands together then paused. “Your stick-“

“Wand,” she corrected.

“Really? Isn’t that a bit of a cliché?” 

“Where do you think the cliché came from in the first place?”

“Hmm, fair point. Okay, your wand, what’s it made of?” 

“Wood.”

“And?” he prompted. “It’s not just a random twig you picked up, is it?”

“The wand is an heirloom, Mr Stark. Family legend goes that at its core lies a substance with magical properties but, funnily enough, I’ve never been tempted to crack it open to find out.” 

“J.A.R.V.I.S could do it for you,” he claimed. 

“I would be surprised,” she replied. “Magic and technology don’t tend to mix too well.” She wasn’t entirely comfortable with letting Stark use his equipment to see the inner workings of her magic. She was always seeking to gain a greater understanding of her abilities so that she could adapt it and test herself even further. The problem was that she didn’t trust muggles with that knowledge and especially not Tony Stark. 

“That explains why he couldn’t give me anything about you last time. Well, there’s only one way to find out for sure,” he offered. 

“You warned me not to share my secrets,” she reminded him. 

“You said we’re not rivals.”

“I’d like to think that we’re not,” she replied truthfully and then her tone became more serious. “But you must understand the potential of the magic. It hasn’t been studied like that before and – ” 

“And you think I’m going to use it to my own advantage?”

“I don’t think there’s any question about that, is there?” she pointed out.

“Should I be offended?” 

“No, I was being honest. It seems to me that you like to experiment with the cutting edge of technology and magic is as close to that edge as you can go. I’m worried about what would happen if that knowledge fell into the wrong hands. I believe you know better than most what the consequences are.”

“Are you talking about the Ten Rings, Obadiah Stone, Ivan Vanko or Hammer Industries?” he asked. She raised an eyebrow. “Okay, I get your point, but don’t you just want to see if J.A.R.V.I.S. can detect anything?” 

Hermione bit her lip, deliberating. “All right,” she sighed. “But we might as well go my way, it’ll be quicker.”

“You can take me too?” he asked in surprise.

Hermione reached out for his hand. “Yes. Ready?” 

“I know that I’m a very attractive man but if this is just an excuse to touch me-”

“It would be quite easy for me to leave a piece of you behind,” she warned.

“Wow, hit a nerve.” Hermione glared at him and he took her hand. “Okay, I’m shutting up now.”

She closed her eyes to focus; the last thing she needed was to make a mistake when apparating a man with an arc reactor in his chest. When the familiar squeezing sensation was over, she looked over at Tony to check he was all right, but apart from a slightly stupefied expression on his face he seemed to be fine. 

“Good afternoon, sir.” J.A.R.V.I.S. greeted. “I wasn’t expecting such a sudden arrival from you.”

“Pretty cool, right?” Tony replied before turning to Hermione. “Although it makes my security settings absolutely void where you’re concerned. You ever considered a career as a bank robber?” 

Hermione shook her head. “Not my style. I don’t use magic for personal gain.”

“Tell that to the Mark 3,” Tony objected, pointing to his repaired suit.

“That was different,” she said defensively. “You were threatening me.”

“So in England you offer people who break into your home a cup of tea, do you?”

“Yes, and a slice of cake,” she replied.

He nodded. “You’re growing on me, kid.”

“My name’s Hermione.”

“That’s too many syllables,” he claimed, walking over to one of his screens. “Stand over there and hold out the wand.” She did as instructed as he started his scan. “I work better with two syllables: Tony, Pepper, Happy, Fury, Coulson. How about Hermy instead?”

“Absolutely not!” she insisted. “Use my surname, Granger.” 

“Granger,” he repeated. “I can cope with that. J.A.R.V.I.S, what have you got?”

“The object in Ms Granger’s hand has an outer casing of vinewood,” J.A.R.V.I.S began, showing the results on the screens. Tony expanded the image and waved his hand to get rid of the wood and see inside. A line of muted pink glistened before their eyes. Hermione knew it was the dragon heartstring core but she was not about to impart that knowledge on him. “The interior is emitting an interference that I cannot bypass, sir, but it seems to have a biological composition.” 

“What species?” Tony asked, rotating the image.

“Unknown,” J.A.R.V.I.S replied, “Though it seems to be related to the reptile family.”

Tony cocked his head. “Reptile, interesting, and what about Granger, you picking up anything odd about her?”

Hermione started. “Don’t you dare, Stark! J.A.R.V.I.S, I do not give my consent!”

“He’s a computer system,” Tony said, giving her a disbelieving look. “He doesn’t care.”

“Sir, I have stopped the scan on ethical grounds,” J.A.R.V.I.S announced to Hermione’s relief and Tony’s annoyance.

“Ethics have never stopped you before,” Tony muttered.

“No one has ever objected before,” J.A.R.V.I.S pointed out.

“Thank you, J.A.R.V.I.S,” Hermione said. “Please note that I do not give Mr Stark permission to use you to investigate me unless otherwise stated by myself.” 

“Yes, Ms Granger.” 

“Er, what just happened here? Are you Brits ganging up on me?” Tony said.

“Ms Granger taught you a lesson in manners, sir,” J.A.R.V.I.S announced.

“Is that so?” Tony asked, looking at Hermione in annoyance. “I changed my mind again, Hermy. I don’t like you.”

“Because you’re not getting your way?” she questioned airily. Despite everything she’d ever read or seen about him, she was still taken aback by his childish behaviour. “Look, I would be reasonably happy to explore the science behind the magic with you, but there is a way to go about it. We have to work together on this.”

“Apparently I don’t play well with others. Has no one told you that?” he asked, as though she was stupid.

Hermione sighed. “I think anyone who’s ever heard of you is well aware of that.”

“Ouch.”

“ _ But _ , _ ” _ she stressed. “You haven’t worked with a sorceress yet. If you start getting on my nerves or act like an arse, I have a variety of different ways to make sure you know it.”

“Oh, really, you’re going to threaten me in my own – ”

She cast a silencing charm at him. He jerked in surprise at his lack of speech. 

“That’s much better, don’t you think, J.A.R.V.I.S?” she said as Tony carried on trying to force sound out of his mouth.

“A vast improvement, Ms Granger. I think you should visit more often.” 

Tony glared at her and moved over to one of the work benches. 

“I believe he is searching for a weapon,” J.A.R.V.I.S informed her. “He is getting quite agitated.”

Hermione reversed the spell. 

“-cking bi-, oh.” Tony looked at her in surprise but she stood calmly, waiting. “Fine! We’ll work together. Talk about drama queens.”

“Takes one to know one, Stark,” she retorted. 

“Touché,” he muttered, dropping whatever makeshift weapon was in his hand and walking to his bar. “Want a drink? Wait- are you even old enough to drink?”

“I’ll be twenty-one in September,” she replied.

“So, no, basically. That’s all right; I’ll drink yours for you,” he said, pouring himself a more than decent amount of the amber liquid. “Here’s to this Stark-Granger merger, thing. To  _ Stranger Enterprises _ !”

“That’s a good name,” she allowed with a smile.

He downed the whiskey in one. “Thank you, I came up with it myself.” 

“Well, Stranger Enterprises is going to have to be on hold for a while; unfortunately my schedule is a little bit busy at the moment,” she explained. 

“S.H.I.E.L.D?”

“Yes. Director Fury and I have joined forces in light of recent events and I’m getting trained up.” 

“That figures,” he muttered. “I bet you’re not volatile or self-obsessed.”

Hermione frowned in confusion. “I’m sorry?”

Tony waved a hand. “It’s nothing. I’m over it. ”

“Right. Well, I’d actually better be getting back. I’ll be in touch, Mr Stark.” 

“Tony is fine,” he said. “Saves you a syllable.”

Hermione smiled. “Okay, Tony.”

“Just do me a favour, Granger,” he requested, taking a seat at one of his worktables. “Don’t do that popping in and out thing anymore. I don’t want to worry that you might drop in on something your innocent eyes shouldn’t be seeing.”

“All right,” she agreed. “Mind if I use a window instead?”

“Knock yourself out,” he shrugged. “Or actually don’t, you might want to open the window before you walk out of it. Or maybe you can walk through solid glass, I don’t know.”

She took his advice and flicked her wand at one of the windows, making it swing open. “Bye, Tony. Bye, J.A.R.V.I.S.” 

Tony watched curiously as she seemed to shrink in size and then stood in alarm as feathers sprouted over her body. A second later a small falcon stood where Hermione had been. The bird let out a chittering cry and then beat its wings to fly rapidly around the workshop before going out of the open window.

“Okay, magic’s pretty awesome,” he admitted.

“Extremely, sir.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the various ways you support this fic. 
> 
> I recall really enjoying writing the interaction between Tony and Hermione so I hope you liked reading it!


	7. Chapter 7

Hermione apparated into her DC apartment with a quiet pop and quickly placed the items she’d taken to training back into their rightful place. She glanced at the clock and took a calming breath. There was suitable time for her to make her dinner plans with Ron back in London. She’d booked this time off weeks in advance on his request and she didn’t feel guilty for this sole occasion of leaving her training early, seeing as Natasha was off on assignment somewhere, Fury was reportedly in the Deep South and even Coulson had seemed distracted when they’d discussed hypothetical hostage situations (although he’d done his best to hide it). 

Deciding that she had enough time to get rid of the sweat and grime from that morning’s fitness session, Hermione jumped into the shower, turning the heat up high. She was so excited at the prospect of seeing Ron. Despite her assurances when she’d first received Fury’s job offer that she’d journey home to see him often, she could count on one hand the number of times they’d seen each other in the last four months. She vowed to try harder as she massaged shampoo into her scalp and it was at that moment that the lights in her apartment started to flash red. 

Hermione froze. “No,” she moaned. “No, not now! Damn it!” Hair still dripping wet and covered in shampoo bubbles, she ducked out of the shower and wrapped a towel around herself before reaching for her phone. She held the device to her ear, rather than engage in a face call, to avoid any embarrassment. 

“Report to the Triskelion now,” Coulson ordered. “It’s time.” 

“And you couldn’t have picked any other day?” Hermione grumbled, despite the nerves fluttering in her stomach. 

“See you in the briefing room in five minutes, Granger,” he stated, ignoring her question before hanging up.

Hermione got back into the shower with a scowl and rinsed the shampoo away. Five minutes might sound like a very short time for most people to cross DC - impossible, really - but it wasn’t the case for a witch. When Coulson walked into the briefing room four minutes later, Hermione was already sat down, perfectly dry, with not a hair out of place. 

“Are you ready?” he asked, taking a seat opposite her. 

“Well, I guess there’s only one way to find out,” she replied in a cooler tone than she felt. Hermione knew her assessment was going to be coming up soon but she hadn’t expected it quite yet. She tried to view it as a positive that Fury thought she had shown sufficient skill to try and qualify for ‘Agent’ status. “What’s the brief?” 

“One of our undercover agents sent an encrypted message to us,” Coulson informed her. “It contained only one word: their code-word for imminent danger.”

Hermione knew that this was merely a simulation to put her through her paces but it didn’t stop the chill sweeping down her spine. 

“That’s it?” she asked in surprise. “We have no idea what form this danger takes or where it’s likely to hit? Where’s the agent based?”

“Moscow,” he replied. “We know that this agent was infiltrating a particular organized-crime group called the Lyukhovich Gang.”

Hermione nodded, recognising the name. “A relatively recent organisation,” she recalled, “made up from the remnants of three previous Russian gangs. The last S.H.I.E.L.D report I read on the Lyukhovich Gang highlighted the possibility of them expanding their business to the States, but that was over two months ago.”

“Our latest intel has shown they have established operations in Chicago,” Coulson explained, handing over an electronic tablet with the relevant files. Hermione skimmed through its contents, taking in the photographs, legal documents and statements, her mind thinking rapidly. 

“I don’t speak Russian,” she pointed out. Languages were her great weakness as a potential agent. She had a good understanding of magical ancient runes but, unfortunately, that had yet to be of any use to her in her work with S.H.I.E.L.D. 

“That shouldn’t be a problem,” he reassured, causing her to re-evaluate the likely course of action. She looked again at the properties and businesses suspected of being part of the Lyukhovich’s organisation. The first one they’d bought was a dairy business situated north of downtown Chicago. Its reasonably-isolated location was good for hiding dirty dealings but it didn’t strike her as the type of place for a Russian gang’s Stateside headquarters. She went through the list again, pausing at a trio of buildings that were purchased within hours of each other, cross referencing these with other documents citing structural changes and photo surveillance of the locations.

“Isn’t a gang-owned nightclub a bit of a cliché?” she asked, looking at the converted warehouse on the bank of the Chicago River. 

“The sorceress who has a wand and brews potions wants to talk clichés?” Coulson retorted and Hermione cocked her head, conceding the point. “Besides, there are a number of advantages to owning a club, as I’m sure you’re more than aware.” 

“I wouldn’t have been trained very well if I wasn’t,” she pointed out, making Coulson chuckle slightly before they refocused. “Do we have schematics or photos of the inside since it’s been refurbished?”

“No,” he replied shortly. 

Hermione frowned and looked back at the most recent image of the exterior of the nightclub, eyes scanning for something to assist her. She zoomed in on the picture and pointed at the security camera that was watching the people in the queue. “Looks like it’s time for some hacking then.” 

Coulson stood and indicated the door. “After you.” 

* * *

Fifty-two minutes later, Hermione was standing outside ‘Siren’ nightclub and surveying the scene with her own eyes. It was still a few hours away from dusk and she was having a hard time stopping herself from apparating straight inside to find the information she needed. It hadn’t taken her long to gain access to the club’s security cameras to give herself a mental image of the building’s layout. Coulson was back at the Triskelion being her extra set of eyes and ears. They had footage of every room in the club but one, and they’d figured that that was the room she needed to gain access to. 

Although the club wasn’t open for business, there was still much activity inside as the entertainers rehearsed their routines and supplies were unloaded from a van. She was thankful that it was still late afternoon, because trying to negotiate her way through throngs of people in a busy club whilst underneath the invisibility cloak would be a nightmare. However, this more general hubbub suited her perfectly, for there was less chance of the gang identifying that someone with abnormal capabilities was around when there were plenty of others to suspect of treachery. Despite the Ministry-loaned invisibility cloak and the disillusionment charm she’d placed upon herself, she was still disguised as one of the dancing troupe members to buy her more time should she be discovered. Suffice to say, she was very glad that no one could actually see her in the revealing outfit and absurdly glamorous hair and make-up. At least she’d only charmed her shoes to  _ look _ like gaudy, gold stilettos otherwise she’d be discovered within three minutes by falling flat on her face. Hermione honestly didn’t know how Natasha managed to be fully functioning in that sort of attire. 

She wished Romanoff was with her now, though. She was supremely grateful to have Coulson in her corner, of course, but Hermione had the feeling that Natasha would have invaluable advice for this type of scenario. 

Hermione had to remind herself that this  _ was _ really only a scenario. The troubling thing was how genuine this all seemed. She’d read about the Lyukhovich Gang months ago and the purchases of businesses and buildings and S.H.I.E.L.D’s intelligence all looked utterly real. She wondered how much of this was the S.H.I.E.L.D. set up, because there was no way that Fury would send her out on a real assignment, was there? Not when there was a supposed threat of imminent danger, surely…

“Are you in position?” Coulson’s voice spoke in her ear. 

“Yes,” she confirmed.

“Your entrance is still viable,” he said. 

“Understood.”

She kept a precautionary distance as she made her way to the left side of the building, where a lorry was delivering beer barrels. After a couple of minutes of observation, she took her chance to sneak into the building while the men were getting the next barrel. 

“I’m through the entrance,” she whispered as loud as she dared, for Coulson would have no idea where she was whilst under the cloak. 

“Good,” Coulson replied. “Now ascend the stairs and take the first turning on the left. The way is clear for the moment.” 

Hermione did as instructed, ever watchful for a problem, but she emerged into the main warehouse without an incident. The room she wanted to gain access to was across the floor. Stepping across to hide even further in the shadows, she watched the proceedings until she felt comfortable. The dancing troupe had changed outfits since Hermione had last seen the security footage but they were distracting the rest of the workers sufficiently enough to benefit her journey across the room.

She stopped a few metres away from her target and stood flat against the wall to lessen the risk of someone walking in to her. Two thickset men stood guard over the door. She was pretty sure she could see the outline of guns inside their jackets but their presence wasn’t particularly irksome because she didn’t plan on entering via the door anyway. She and Coulson had always intended for her to apparate in but the issue was that she needed more of an idea of what lay in the room to avoid landing on anyone or bumping into anything. 

She drew her wand from a holder strapped to her calf and held the tip to her forehead, eyes closed.  _ “Incipio _ ,” she whispered, activating the potion she’d drunk before she left DC. When she opened her eyes it was as though she was seeing the world through an x-ray machine. She looked over at the two henchmen again, this time clearly seeing the array of weapons lining their persons. She could see vague outlines of the room beyond them but she’d have to get closer for them to come into focus. 

“I’m approaching the door,” she informed Coulson quietly. 

“I’ll let you know if I pick anything up,” he replied. 

Hermione moved forward cautiously and the contents of the room became clearer. She could make out two further skeletons, both armed. One seemed to be sat behind a desk, the other standing. The furnishings in the room gave a greater indication of the layout and she felt more confident in finding a safe apparation point. She would have to act quickly once she was inside to prevent the people from raising the alarm. 

“I’m picking up two voices; one male, one female, conversing in Russian,” Coulson said, which definitely fit the scenario she’d been given. 

Hermione backed away from the door again, keeping a mental image of the room on the other side and the placing of the two people. She tapped her head with her wand and whispered, “ _ Finite! _ ” Her vision was back to normal but she wasted no time in apparating to her planned destination. 

The man had no time to react as she emerged behind him and cast a silent stunning spell at his back. She stepped out behind him as he crumpled to the floor, in order to give the same treatment to the woman at the desk but Hermione paused in astonishment: it was Natasha. 

As her mind struggled to process the sight of her co-trainer, Hermione watched, as though in slow motion, as Natasha reached for a button on the intercom on her desk. Panicked, she sent the stunner a split second before Romanoff could raise the alarm. 

“What the hell, Coulson?” Hermione hissed as she grabbed Natasha’s shoulder to stop her head slamming onto the desk. 

“What’s the matter?” he responded. “Are you in the room?”

“Yes, and you know full well what the matter is.” She looked around the room for an obvious place to begin her search but there was nothing out of the ordinary. 

“In my experience, assignments barely ever go as you expect them to,” was his underwhelming explanation. “You need to be prepared for anything, even a betrayal.” 

Hermione swallowed thickly as she reactivated the potion. “Consider me prepared,” she muttered, looking around the room with her x-ray vision. “There’s a safe behind the painting,” she told him, before levitating the heavy object off the wall. The need for quick work was still great, for someone could walk through that door at any moment. 

“Do you need any help opening it?” he asked.

“No, it’s fine.” She watched as the dial spun in response to her  _ alohomora _ charm and then clicked open. Inside, was a large pile of cash, a few Russian passports and some legal documents. She frowned and looked around the room again; an electrical device was operating in the middle draw. No booby traps showed up on her vision but she still inched the draw forwards slowly. An electronic tablet lay inside. Hermione was familiar with the model so she pressed the activation button with bated breath. The screen flashed on, requesting a 4-digit pass code and Hermione’s heart sank. 

She explained the situation to Coulson and he advised her to quickly check the rest of the room first so she wouldn’t be wasting her time trying to bypass the code. She swept the room with her advanced sight and then again with normal vision. She checked the pockets of both Natasha and the man. He was a complete stranger to her; tall, dark-haired and (despite her rushed state, she couldn’t help but notice) remarkably handsome. They had nothing useful on them but she removed the ammunition from their weapons, forgetting that they were likely filled with blanks. 

“It’s got to be the tablet,” she told Coulson. “Unless we’re in the wrong place.” But Natasha’s presence made her think otherwise. “Any advice on how to unlock it?” 

“Check for grease marks to show areas that are frequently touched,” he suggested. “They may correspond with the places of the digits.” 

Hermione picked up the tablet and tilted the screen to see if he was right. “There’s nothing there,” she said, starting to feel worried. 

“I would proceed with caution, Granger,” he warned. “I highly suspect that if the wrong combination was entered, an alarm would be issued or the device would self-destruct.”

“Damn,” she breathed. What should she do? There was no way that Natasha or this other man would leave the passcode to the tablet lying around the office, so she had no hope of discovering it herself. She wasn’t sure if it was even possible for S.H.I.E.L.D.’s technicians to unlock the device without triggering an internal booby-trap and that would surely take too long to find out. As far as Hermione could tell, the only people who knew the passcode were the two people she was in the room with (and she had her doubts that the man even knew). 

If Hermione was a cold-hearted villain she would torture one of them to make the other reveal the code, but it would be a chilly day in hell before she’d do something of the sort. Casting the Imperius Curse on Natasha was equally out of the question. Hermione had no truth potions on her but she made a mental note to carry one on future assignments.  _ Legillimancy. _ The word flashed into her mind and she bit her lip. She couldn’t do that to Natasha, could she? It would be a huge violation of her privacy. She doubted that Natasha would be particularly pleased to find out that Hermione had been seeing her inner thoughts and memories. But on the other hand, she felt that Natasha would be disappointed if she didn’t do everything she could to complete her assignment. 

Hermione glanced up at the safe. She’d been able to unlock that with a simple spell, but she was well aware that technology didn’t respond in the same way. Hermione tightened her grip on her wand and took a steadying breath, hoping that she’d made the right decision. 

“ _ Alohomora _ ,” she whispered, focusing on exactly what she wanted the magic to do. If this didn’t work then she had no choice but to explore Natasha’s mind, otherwise she’d fail and that was entirely unacceptable to her. 

The passcode screen flashed on, before flickering on to a new image which looked similar to a GPS tracker. Hermione instinctively read out the coordinates as the tablet started to flicker and fail. “61.2345N, 149.” Then the screen went black. “Damn, it’s gone. I think it was .7656 west,” she said, and surrounded the tablet in a magical protective shield in case it did self-destruct. “There was a tracker showing those coordinates. Did you get them, Coulson?”

“Got them,” he replied. She let out a deep breath and swept a hand across her forehead in relief. A muffled bang from the tablet made her jump but her shield prevented any damage to herself or the room. She suspected that the explosion would have been more dangerous had this been a real assignment though. “It’s a warehouse on the outskirts of Anchorage,” Coulson told her.

“Alaska?” she asked in dismay. 

“Well, that’s about as close to Russia as you’re going to get on this continent.” 

“True, but it’s quite a journey from here, even by Portkey. I’ll have to do it in a couple of trips.” 

“Just focus on clearing things up there, we can worry about Alaska in a minute,” he instructed. 

Hermione nodded and stood, surveying the scene. She closed the safe and returned the painting that covered it. She cast an illusion charm over the tablet to make it look like it hadn’t been through an explosion, before replacing it in the drawer. 

She bit her lip as she looked at Natasha and the man. 

“Granger, are you out yet?” Coulson asked.

“The man, he’s an agent, yes?” she queried, ignoring his question.

“Does it matter?”

“If this was real, I’d change their memories so that they’d never know they’d been attacked by an invisible assailant,” she explained, still staring at their prone forms.

“You  _ must _ treat this as a real situation,” he warned.

Hermione shook her head. “I’m not going to modify someone’s mind for no good reason, Coulson. I’m good at memory charms, but anybody can make a mistake and healing brain damage is far beyond my capabilities.”

“Well, you’d better hope they don’t wake up, or that no one discovers them, otherwise the alarm will be raised,” he pointed out. 

“I know,” she murmured, moving over to the door. “But it’s a risk I’m willing to take. The stunning spell will keep them out of action for another hour if they’re uninterrupted and I’ve placed a powerful locking charm on the door to stop anyone getting in. I’m sorry, Coulson but that’s my decision.” 

“Just get out of there.” 

* * *

Alaska was bloody cold. 

It wasn’t long since summer had graced these shores but Hermione was highly unimpressed with the unseasonable snow that lay about five inches deep throughout the city. An immediate modification of her outfit had been necessary to prevent her teeth from chattering.

Coulson had given her the coordinates of a S.H.I.E.L.D hideout in the city, where she was able to travel by portkey, via a brief stop in Seattle. A car was parked out front and she wasted no time in clearing the snow off it and racing off to the warehouse. 

“Any luck with the security footage?” she asked. Coulson was trying to hack into their second warehouse in less than an hour whilst giving her directions at the same time. 

“Take the next right onto Boniface Parkway,” he instructed. “And no. They’re proving more of a challenge than last time.”

Hermione frowned as she made the turning. She didn’t want to go into the building completely blind. Who knew what danger the Lyukhovich Gang were keeping in that warehouse? Perhaps the danger they’d been warned about wasn’t even in Anchorage, but it was merely the next step of the puzzle... 

After a few more minutes, Coulson had successfully directed her to the warehouse. Hermione parked a street away and reapplied her disillusionment charm before getting to see what the building was like. It was bigger than the nightclub and there were no buildings immediately next to it, which would make entry a bit more difficult. She looked down at the snow with a scowl; there was no way she could just walk up to the building when her footprints would show up so clearly. She’d have to fly in her animagus form and hope there was an entrance on the roof or an open window somewhere.

“Have you managed to give me eyes inside?” she asked. Going in blind would be dangerous but if Coulson couldn’t hack the footage then she’d have no choice. She waited a few seconds for a response. “Coulson?” He didn’t reply. “Great,” she muttered, realising that she was on her own. 

Acting quickly, she hid the invisibility cloak underneath the driver’s seat, replaced her wand in its holster and transformed into her merlin falcon. 

The chill in the air was barely noticeable as she soared through the sky. She circuited the building a couple of times to spot an access point and settled with the ventilation shaft on the roof. The protective grilles were set back from the outer edge of the shaft to protect them from the frequent frosty weather and they provided enough cover for Hermione to land and transform back to her human form. 

Taking out her wand, she separated the grille from the main shaft and squeezed herself into the mental vent. She followed the light of her wand as she crawled along the narrow passage, her petite frame an advantage as she had to lower herself quietly whenever it turned sharply downwards. 

Hermione had no idea whether she was going the right way or not, but was just following her instincts. All of the grilles she’d come across had overlooked empty rooms which was reassuring in some ways but she wanted to see some people to know she was in the right place. 

After a few more minutes of crawling, she finally heard voices. She inched herself closer and looked down at the room below. A couple of men were sat around a table, playing cards. One of them spoke in Russian and the other laughed heartily in response but the joke was completely lost on Hermione. And Coulson had said her lack of Russian wouldn’t matter! 

She heard the sound of a door opening and watched as another man entered the room. The three exchanged more words she didn’t understand, before one of the men rose and the newcomer took his place. It looked as though they were exchanging shifts, as the man picked up a semi-automatic handgun from a different table on his way out. 

Hermione shuffled forwards until she came to what she hoped was an empty room not too far from where she’d seen the guards. She removed the grille as quietly as she could then extricated herself carefully from the vent. Mercifully, there were no people or security cameras in the room, so she replaced the grille and cast a notice-me-not charm on herself. She positioned herself flat against the wall slightly along from the door and pointed her wand at the centre of the room, creating a big bang sound. 

She didn’t have long to wait before the door was thrown open and the two men who had been playing cards entered, guns raised. Their eyes journeyed straight past the spot where she was standing and she took the opportunity to tiptoe out of the door while they were looking the other way. 

She took a chance and turned left along the corridor but soon found herself at a dead end. She backtracked, carefully avoiding the men again and found the door that the single man was guarding. There was a code on the door, making Hermione frown. She wasn’t a big fan of codes at that moment. However, she was saved from having to find her way past him, for the guard held his fingers to his ear, as though receiving a message. He nodded in confirmation and turned round to the keypad. 

Hermione scurried forward to watch him swipe an identification card and press the numbers 64924. The door buzzed and flashed green to admit him and Hermione slipped in behind him. They journeyed down a stark, white corridor, the guard still oblivious to her presence thanks to the charms.

They came to another locked door and Hermione watched again as the guard swiped and entered the same five digits to gain access. There were a number of guards in the wide corridor she stepped into, all of which were heavily armed and standing in front of what looked remarkably like a bank vault. The apparent leader greeted the guard she was following, but none of them noticed her behind him. They exchanged a few words in Russian while Hermione tried to figure out what to do. 

Judging by the amount of weaponry on display, whatever was behind that door must be what she was here to stop. But what was the safest way past? Apparating to the other side of the door wouldn’t be too difficult in itself, but the fact that she didn’t know what was on the other side worried her. There could be a twenty foot drop or other booby traps lying in wait for her. And who knew if there were guards on the other side too? If she just bypassed these men they would surely open the door themselves if they heard some sort of disturbance. 

Aware that her time was running out, Hermione steeled herself and took action. From the inside of her clothes she retrieved a S.H.I.E.L.D-issued stun grenade. Walking calmly forwards so as not to break the notice-me-not charm, she concealed her grenade in her palm until she was in the middle of the guards. She pulled out the pin and placed it on the ground. 

The alarmed yells came too late as she apparated to the other side of the vault door, fully prepared to transform back into a falcon, should her feet not meet solid ground. 

Luckily she landed safely on two feet but she stumbled as she felt the force of the stun grenade. Looking up, she sensed she was in a large room but it was hard to get a perspective as it was very dark. A foreign smell met her senses and she began to cough. Realising that some sort of gas had been released she quickly staggered away and cast the bubblehead charm to protect herself. 

Squinting back to where she had entered, she saw the gas was being emitted from an arrow. Her eyes widened as it dawned on her that someone hostile was shooting at her. She instinctively threw herself to the side as an arrow flew through the air where she’d been a split second before. With so little time to react to the arrows, it was too risky to apparate away in case they were transported in the spell too. Her assailant was positioned at a higher level than she was, based on the trajectory of the arrow and they seemed to be able to see her just fine. She was a sitting duck if she didn’t get her attacker in her sights. 

Hermione activated the potion to give her greater vision but it was wearing off. She could only just see the outline of her attacker on a raised platform that spanned the width of the room, but it was all that she needed. Another arrow was on its way towards her and she erected a magical shield to block its path. A stunner, impedimenta jinx and body-bind curse were sent in quick succession up to the attacker. The archer expertly manipulated his body to avoid the spells and Hermione knew she was up against a worthy opponent. Or she would be, if she weren’t capable of magic. Taking the opportunity to disapparate while her attacker was getting back to two feet, Hermione moved once, twice, three times to different points in the room, before appearing behind them on the platform and stunning them instantly.

Pulse racing, she turned her attention to the rest of the room. Hermione had to strain to see and when she blinked a couple of times, her advanced vision faded and she was left in the semi-darkness. Casting  _ lumos maxima,  _ she was able to see more clearly. A large shipping container was placed in the middle of the room so she apparated down to it. 

She drew back the bolt across the door with a mighty heave and shone her wand inside to see what was within. 

The container was empty. Mostly.

A red number fifteen appeared on a panel on the wall of the container, under which was strapped a large amount of explosives. The fifteen changed to a fourteen. Hermione gasped. But this couldn’t be the imminent danger. A bomb inside a container, in a remote warehouse in Alaska wasn’t going to do much damage! No, it didn’t make sense. She was missing something. 

The red number had changed to a ten before her eyes detected the tiniest reflection from her wandlight at the other end of the container. She sprinted forward and discovered the slimmest flash drive that she had ever seen, taped to the bottom corner of the container. Wordlessly, Hermione  _ accio _ -ed it into her palm and apparated back on to the platform with the archer. Knowing she only had a handful of seconds left, she magically locked the container, and sent as many protective shields around it as she could, before grabbing hold of the archer and apparating them outside to where she’d parked the car.

It might have been her imagination, but Hermione thought she heard a distant boom coming from the warehouse as she landed in the snow. 

She’d barely taken a breath before a familiar voice spoke in her ear. “Report to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Granger. They’re expecting you.”

Hermione frowned at Fury’s instructions. “Where?”

“The military facility,” he elaborated. “Just follow the signs. Oh, and leave your new friend where he is; someone will pick him up in a minute.” 

“Yes, sir,” she muttered, sparing the archer a quick look before following Fury’s instructions. Had she passed? There was nothing comforting in the Director’s voice to tell her so, but she’d be a little more alarmed if there  _ had _ . As far as she was aware, Nick Fury didn’t do comfort. No, she’d just have to sweat it out for a few minutes until she learned her fate.

* * *

Despite a distance of over three thousand miles between them, Fury could feel Coulson’s anxiety as he waited to discover what happened to Granger after he’d lost communication with her. The loss of contact had been planned, of course, but in some ways it was worse for the trainers as they were completely in the dark about how their charge was getting on. 

“Granger’s assignment was successful,” Fury informed him, speaking into the phone.

“Was it ever in doubt?” Coulson replied, sounding far more confident than Fury suspected he was. 

“I get the feeling she played things safer than she needed to but I’ll know more once I speak to her,” he replied. “What are your thoughts on her refusal to alter Romanoff and Ward’s memories?”

“I think she was absolutely right,” Coulson said instantly. “Granger knows more about the risks of tampering with people’s memories than we do. If she says it’s not worth the risk then I respect her judgement to overstep the reality of the assessment, sir.” 

Granger had a conscience, there was no doubt about that. Fury didn’t want her to be a ruthless killer with no thought of consequences, but she might need a steelier edge if she was going to be as successful as he hoped. That being said, her recommendation from England had mentioned her combat history so there was obviously more grit in Hermione Granger than she was happy to let show.

“What was waiting for her in Anchorage, sir? You haven’t told me,” Coulson interrupted his thoughts. 

“A squad of experienced combat agents that she managed to walk straight up to without them spotting her. She dropped them with a stun grenade at point blank range. Then on the other side of a high security vault door she took out Agent Barton in about thirty seconds. It probably would have been less than ten if the room had been properly lit. Finally, she retrieved a miniature flash drive hidden in a shipping container with a bomb primed to explode in fifteen seconds. She contained the explosion and zapped herself and Barton to safety anyway.”

There was a stunned silence on the other end of the line.

“And if any normal agent had received the same assignment in DC, they would only now be touching down in Chicago,” Fury added, pointing out the impressive speed at which Granger could work.

“You did know that she’d originally booked this afternoon off, didn’t you, sir?” Coulson asked, suspicion heavy in his voice. “I believe she’d planned to spend time with her family in London.”

“What are you getting at, Coulson?” Fury asked.

“You’ve had this planned for a while, posting your best agents across the country. You were testing her loyalties,” Coulson accused.

Fury stood taller, despite the fact that the agent couldn’t see him. “Do you have a problem with that?”

“I just thought that with today being – “

“I know what day it is, Coulson,” he responded stiffly. “That’s why I did it. What better present for her than qualified agent status?”

“I’m not sure she’d see it quite that way, sir,” Coulson said. “But I like to think that she’d be touched at the sentiment.”

“ _ Sentiment _ ?” Fury sneered. He didn’t think he’d ever been accused of sentimentality in his entire life! “Don’t be absurd.”

“So you  _ are _ trying to distance her from her life in the UK?” Coulson persisted. 

“Clean things up in Chicago,” Fury ordered, ignoring Coulson’s remarks. “Let them know the assignment is over and fill Romanoff in on Granger’s achievements.”

“Yes, sir,” Coulson replied, with a hint of a sigh. “Just, please congratulate Hermione for me.”

“Goodbye, Coulson,” Fury snapped, ending the call. 

There was a knock on the door behind him and he called his assent. He turned as Hermione entered the room, looking nervous.

“Take a seat, Agent Granger,” he said, indicating the table and chairs in the room. She faltered and looked at him with wide eyes.

“Agent?” she repeated.

“Yes, ‘Agent’,” he confirmed with mock testiness. “I hope your hearing hasn’t been affected by your exploits.” 

Her cheeks flushed and she indulged in a toothy smile. “No, sir, sorry.” 

Fury held out a hand. “Congratulations, Hermione Granger. You are now officially an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all your support. Lots of love to everyone out there - I hope you are keeping yourself safe.
> 
> Lil Drop of Magic


	8. Chapter 8

Hermione flinched as Tony fell into step next to her, Iron Man suit and all, as the busy crowds around the Lincoln Memorial gasped and pointed at his unexpected arrival. He retracted his face mask and gave her a confused look as they continued to take a circuit of the Washington monuments and gardens. 

“What are you doing?” he asked, seemingly appalled by her actions. 

“I’m taking my lunchtime stroll,” she answered amiably. “The ability to travel anywhere at the drop of the hat can induce laziness, so sometimes it’s nice to just walk and get some fresh air.” She sent him a curious look. “What are  _ you  _ doing here?” 

“Well, I was in the neighbourhood,” he replied nonchalantly. 

Hermione raised an eyebrow in his direction. “The neighbourhood,” she repeated dryly. “New York City hardly qualifies as being in the same neighbourhood, does it?” 

Tony stopped and looked down at her in alarm. “Have you been stalking me?” he asked, semi-seriously. “I knew I shouldn’t have let you touch me when you teleported with me - it’s obviously given you the wrong impression.”

Hermione rolled her eyes and continued her walk. “I hate to break it to you, Tony, but you’re a little too old for me.” 

“Don’t be ridiculous, Granger,” he retorted. “You’re hot for me and you know it.” 

Hermione glared at him and decided the best tactic was to get back to the original topic of conversation. “It’s part of my job to know when you have important meetings. You tend to attract a lot of trouble and the Director wants me to know your whereabouts so that I can come to your rescue when the inevitable happens.”

“Sure, the _ Director _ , wants you to know – “ 

“Tony!” she cut in, beginning to lose her patience. “What do you want?”

“It’s October,” he replied simply.

Hermione waited for him to elaborate. “ _ And? _ ” 

“And you said you’d be twenty-one in September.” 

Her lips twitched. “Is this your complicated way of belatedly wishing me a ‘Happy Birthday’?” 

“Sure,” he replied. “We should go out and celebrate your newly-legal status to drink.”

Hermione frowned. “I’ve been legally of age to drink for three years back home. Alcohol isn’t some unknown quantity to me.”

“Yes, but a night out with Tony Stark is,” he argued. 

“Why would you want to have a night out with me?” she asked in amazement. “I hardly think I’m your usual type of drinking buddy.”

He pulled a conflicted face. “True,” he agreed. “But we’re still joint partners in Stranger Enterprises. What sort of a colleague would I be if I didn’t celebrate your birthday with you?” 

Hermione hesitated. “Why do I get the feeling that this is just a huge practical joke to get back at me for destroying your suit?”

He cocked his head as though considering the idea. “Well, now that you mention it…” but he shook his head. “No, Granger, I’m being sincere here. No one ever believes me when I’m showing honest sincerity!” he muttered. “Look - you, me and Pepper, dinner and whichever club takes your fancy.” 

“Pepper’s coming?” Hermione asked, the relief evident in her voice.

“Oh, so now you know Pepper’s coming, you’re totally OK with the situation,” Tony grumbled. “Need I remind you that she locked us in a room together and crossed her fingers that we wouldn’t blow each other up? How is she the trustworthy one in this trio?” 

“Can I bring a couple of friends to the club?” she asked, ignoring his mutterings.

“You have friends?” he sounded genuinely surprised but held up his hands in acquiescence at her scowl. “Yeah, sure, whatever,” he sighed. “Look, I’d better dash - I’ve got another meeting at two and it takes some of us longer than a heartbeat to travel from city to city. I’ll get Pepper to call you to sort out the details.”

“Of course,” she replied, with a smile. “Thanks, Tony.” 

“See you later, kiddo!” He replaced his face mask and shot into the air. Hermione watched him leave for a moment and then realised that she was attracting far more attention than she’d like. She turned swiftly back towards the Triskelion, deciding to cut her walk short for the day.

* * *

“ _ These _ are your  _ friends _ ?!” Tony asked, looking somewhat appalled as Granger waved Romanoff and Coulson into the VIP section with them. 

Granger looked back at him in all innocence. “Yes. Why?”

Tony made to retort but Pepper placed a calming hand on his back. “Here, have another drink.”

He looked suspiciously at the glass she handed him. “I don’t think you’ve ever recommended that I drink  _ more _ .”

Pepper laughed as she got to her feet to greet the newcomers. “I know. Who’d have thought that day would ever come.”

Tony watched as his beautiful, sexy woman greeted the agents warmly and he took the suggested gulp. He reflected on how odd Coulson looked in civilian dress; like he was a normal person who went to nightclubs. The image didn’t sit quite well with Tony so he drank again from his glass. 

The evening had been relatively pleasant until that point (apart from when an ignorant waiter in the restaurant had asked whether Granger was enjoying her dinner with her ‘parents’. While Granger had found the mix-up hilarious, he and Pepper had been less than amused.) They had spent a while discussing the reason for his and Pepper’s visit to New York – the finalisation of the plans for their new Stark Tower. Tony was unsurprised to discover that Granger was all for clean energy and she vowed that all of her creations with him at Stranger Enterprises would be ‘green’ too. However, each time Tony tried to steer the conversation to a more personal aspect of Granger’s life or even her S.H.I.E.L.D work, she would completely clamp up and change the topic. He suspected that it would take a lot more alcohol consumption on Granger’s part if she was going to get loose lipped. Speaking of…

He signalled to the barkeeper, who brought over a selection of bottles and some shot glasses. 

“About time, Stark,” Romanoff called, walking forward and unscrewing the lid off of a whiskey bottle. She was looking as glamorous as ever in a figure-hugging emerald dress and she wasted no time in pouring out drinks for them all. 

“Stark,” Coulson greeted, with a nod of the head, which Tony returned. “How did we end up with the three most beautiful women in New York tonight?”

“Well, I’m outrageously rich and handsome,” Tony replied, “So that part’s no mystery. You, on the other hand…?” 

Coulson laughed, despite the fact that Tony wasn’t really joking. But the agent was right in one respect because Pepper, Romanoff and even Granger looked stunning. That wasn’t a slight at the youngest woman, but Tony had only ever really thought of her as cute, rather than sexy. He didn’t know what had influenced Granger to dress a bit less prim and proper, but he definitely liked it.

“It’s only right that we make a proper night of this, seeing as we’ve got two reasons to celebrate,” Romanoff said, handing the drinks around.

“Two reasons?” Pepper repeated in confusion.

Coulson and Romanoff looked at Granger in surprise and she shrugged. “I didn’t know if I was allowed to tell them,” she said, still leaving Tony and Pepper in the dark. 

“I don’t see the harm,” Coulson stated, causing Granger to send him a grateful smile.

“I fully qualified as an agent!” she announced happily and was immediately congratulated by Pepper. 

Tony mulled this news over. From his previous dealings with S.H.I.E.L.D, Tony knew that Granger wasn’t your average agent and not just because of her abilities. There was an innocence about her, almost a naivety, that he could only see getting crushed in her chosen line of work. But what surprised him was the fact that he actually seemed to care. He blamed Pepper’s influence. 

“Well, that means it’s double shots all round,” Tony announced, lining up another set of glasses.

“Tony,” Pepper said warningly. 

“What? We’re celebrating!” he replied, forcing drinks into people's hands. “Here’s to drinking, and being a pawn in the pain in my ass, both of which you’ve now legally qualified for.” He held his drink aloft but faltered at the looks he was being met with. 

“To Hermione!” Pepper declared, which Coulson and Romanoff echoed. Tony sent a confused look at Pepper, wondering what she was talking about. She jerked her head in Granger’s direction and he remembered that was her first name.

“Ah, sure, to Hermione!” He downed his shots, amused at the wrinkled nose on Granger’s face. 

Soon afterwards, Pepper and Granger disappeared off to the bathroom and Tony found himself left with just Romanoff and Coulson for company. It wasn’t the most comfortable he’d ever felt.

“Does Granger  _ really _ consider you two her friends?” Tony asked. He hadn’t meant the question to sound so insulting but he didn’t really care if they were offended. 

“Why’s that so hard to believe?” Romanoff pouted. “We’re both lovely, fun people to be around.”

“Er, no and no,” Tony replied, pointing to each of them in turn.

“She hasn’t really had the opportunity to meet other people,” Coulson explained. “She’s seen us pretty much every day for the last five months and we’ve worked very closely together.”

“Wait, you two trained her?” Tony asked and they nodded. “Poor kid,” he muttered, receiving a light-hearted thump from Romanoff for his comment. “So, what do you make of her?” 

“No way,” Romanoff replied, shaking her head. “You already know too much about her.” 

“Huh, you almost sound protective of her,” Tony accused, something he’d never thought he’d say of Natasha Romanoff. 

“She can take care of herself,” Coulson declared. “Believe me.” 

“Oh, I know she can,” Tony replied, recalling his dismantled suit. Coulson and Romanoff shared grins, as though they knew exactly what he was thinking about. “But you’re still happy for her to end up like you two?” He left the finer points of what he meant unsaid but he knew that they’d understand. All the S.H.I.E.L.D agents he’d ever met seemed to be slightly removed from life, as though they’d trained themselves to be above emotions. Judging by Granger’s bubbly personality that night, the dehumanisation wasn’t something that happened during their training, but was something they had to do because of their experiences as part of S.H.I.E.L.D.

“Now who sounds like they’re being protective?” Romanoff pointed out, taking a sip from her beer bottle. 

“My only concern is as a business partner,” Tony retorted. “I expect she told you of  _ Stranger Enterprises _ . I don’t want to see her potential to make me a second successful company go to waste.” 

“Yeah, yeah, keep telling yourself that, Stark,” Coulson replied, with a shake of the head.

The rest of the evening was mostly a blur when Tony woke the next morning, but judging by how worse for wear he felt, it had been a very good night. He groaned into his pillow and tried to piece together the random images that flashed through his memory. 

From what he could remember, he had tried to get Granger drunk enough to spill some of her secrets but, if his memory was accurate, the young agent had matched him drink for drink the whole night. Drunk-Tony had been flabbergasted that her tiny frame hadn’t keeled over once they’d polished off the bottle of tequila. 

He groaned again, this time for two reasons: first, because the mere  _ thought _ of drinking alcohol made him feel extremely nauseated, and second was the realisation that Granger had obviously been using her magic to ward off the effects of her drinks. He had no proof of this, but the mere fact that she wasn’t taken away in an ambulance in the early hours of the morning was enough to convince him. That girl knew too damn well how to play him. 

“Tony?” Pepper called, with a soft knock on the door. He tried to articulate something (he wasn’t sure what) but all that came out of his mouth was a strange gurgle. Pepper seemed to take that as a sign to enter because he felt the mattress dip slightly as she sat on the edge of the bed, but he didn’t bother to open his eyes. “Good morning,” she greeted and was met with a grunt in reply. “Hermione just dropped this off for you. She said you had until exactly twenty-three minutes past to make use of it, otherwise it would vanish. There’s such a short time limit on it so that you can’t investigate it and market your own hangover cure.” 

Tony opened a bleary eye and just about managed to focus on a small glass vial in Pepper’s outstretched hand. Its luminous yellow contents didn’t look particularly appetising but if it made his body feel even the slightest bit less like death, then he’d happily gulp it down. He took the vial and ignored the lurching in his stomach as he forced his mouth to open. He shuddered as the liquid travelled down his throat due to its icy temperature and slumped back on to his pillow. 

“Feel better?” Pepper asked.

Tony opened his eyes. “What the…” He sat up and looked down at himself in surprise. He felt absolutely fine – more than fine; he felt great! “She doesn’t want us to market this?!” he asked in disbelief. He looked at his palm but the vial had disappeared as Granger had promised.

“She doesn’t want to encourage irresponsible drinking,” Pepper explained with a knowing grin. 

Tony felt his shoulders slump in disappointment. Granger had a fair point but it still pained him that this extraordinary business venture was never going to see the light of day. “Damn goody-goody,” he muttered. 

* * *

Hermione whacked the cloth against the rock, scattering water droplets all over herself, but it was a refreshing sensation given the warmth of the Indian air. She was convinced that her technique left much to be desired, but as long as she didn’t rouse the suspicions of Dr Banner, then that was all that mattered.

She had met Bruce Banner on a handful of occasions, though he didn’t know it, of course. When S.H.I.E.L.D had first learned that Banner was on the move after settling in the depths of British Columbia for a while, they had kept a distant but intensive eye on him. Every couple of weeks, Hermione would travel to Asia to put herself in his path. He never suspected anything when she stared at him because it was so rare to find a man of his race in the remote areas that he travelled through. Local children would run up to him and talk excitedly at him, though she doubted he understood what they were saying any more than she did. Hermione always looked the part thanks to her Polyjuice Potion, but if anyone tried to speak to her in Hindi, Persian, Burmese, Mandarin or any other language of an area she’d visited, then she had to feign deafness and move on. 

She was lucky that Kingsley had started meeting with leaders of magic in other countries as soon as she had qualified as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent to give her permission to travel internationally by portkey. Her stories to both Fury and the rest of S.H.I.E.L.D. wouldn’t hold up for long if she said she couldn’t magic herself to China or Pakistan because their magical ministries wouldn’t let her. After all, as far as most people were concerned, she was the only one of her kind, and Fury thought that magic was contained to the UK. Kingsley had impressed upon these foreign leaders the importance of secrecy in Hermione’s case seeing as she was acting to protect them all. She was operating under the illusion that they had all agreed – at least Kingsley hadn’t told her otherwise.

Although each of her visits to Dr Banner had gone smoothly so far, Hermione knew that there was always a chance that something could go catastrophically wrong at any moment. She had discussed tactics and strategies with Fury about what she would try should the Hulk appear, but she hoped she’d never have to put those theories into practice. The other S.H.I.E.L.D assignments she’d carried out had been dangerous too but she would have been the only one hurt if there was a hiccup. If Dr Banner turned into the Hulk, then nobody in a rather large vicinity was safe. 

In the distance, she heard the sound of a motor vehicle. She knew it was most likely to be him, so she resumed her cleaning efforts and waited to watch him ride by on the other side of the stream. Sure enough, a rather ancient and battered motorcycle came into view and Hermione had to shield her gaze from the glare of the sun to make out Dr Banner at the controls. 

Her stomach lurched when she realised that Banner was slowing down and she tried to keep herself in character. As a young Asian woman from a remote village, she would rightly be worried about being along with a man she’d never met, but also curious about this strange foreign visitor. 

She stood warily and watched him approach from the other side of the stream, a bundle under his arms. His hair was a little lighter than when she’d last seen him but that could be due to the intensity of the sunlight. He paused and placed the bundle on the ground, before placing his palms together and bowing his head. “ Namaste,” he greeted. 

Hermione echoed his actions and mumbled the same greeting hoping that most of what she said wouldn’t be heard over the trickling stream. 

He opened his bundle and she could see that it was full of his laundry.

“Could you show me?” Dr Banner asked, pointing to her own clothes and then holding his up hopefully. Hermione had to resist the urge to laugh as the phrase ‘the blind leading the blind’ came to mind. She nodded her assent and he said something else she didn’t understand that presumably expressed his thanks.

“You England?” she asked, glad that the words were unfamiliar enough to this tongue to give them a suitable accent. 

Banner jumped from rock to rock to get to her side of the stream. “Yes,” he lied. “I’m from London. My name is David.”

Hermione didn’t blame him for lying. If she was hiding from every intelligence agency in the world, she would be fibbing left, right and centre. 

“Sakina,” Hermione told him, indicating that this was her name. “Why you go from London?” she questioned with a frown. She crouched back down next to her clothes again, sweeping her turquoise sari away from the water’s edge. 

“I like big, open spaces,” he replied simply, sitting next to her to watch. “Cities can be a bit claustrophobic.” Playing her part, Hermione looked back at him, confusion evident in her face. He pulled his limbs in tightly against his body and made an unhappy face. “London,” he explained. Then he opened up his arms and gestured to the surrounding fields and smiled. Hermione nodded and picked up the next item of clothing. 

Banner soon picked up her very basic method and began to wash his clothes too. They didn’t speak much, which was a relief to Hermione because she was constantly worried that she might break character and say something to give herself away. 

When they were finished, they hung the clothes on a nearby tree to dry. Given the day’s temperature, it wouldn’t take long. 

Hermione offered him some roti bread that she had planned to eat while she waited for him to appear. He held his hands up to turn her down but agreed at her insistence. “Thank you,” he said. He was slim, not worryingly so but enough to make Hermione give him the rest of her bread too despite his protestations. He tore one piece in two and they sat on the bank, eating a half each.

“You go Mumbai?” she asked.

He shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“Mumbai,” she imitated his earlier actions of squashing her limbs tight against her body.

He laughed. “Yes, I’ve heard that.” 

Hermione stared at him sadly. From what she’d read of Bruce Banner, she already knew that he was a scientific genius. Her own education in the sciences had pretty much ceased when she’d left for Hogwarts, but since joining  S.H.I.E.L.D. she had been doing her level best to read up on the advancements in the world. However, Banner’s work was so far beyond her that she felt like she was reading a dummy’s guide to science compared to him. What all her reading on Banner hadn’t told her was that he seemed like an unassuming, kind person. It was such a contrast to the footage she’d seen of the Hulk in Harlem. She wished fate hadn’t chosen this lonely path for him.

She wiped the pity from her face when he turned to smile at her, his dark hair ruffled slightly by a merciful breeze. “Thank you, Sakina,” he said, getting to his feet. 

She helped him fold his clothes back into a bundle. They were still a little damp but Hermione got the impression that he wanted to be on his way. 

“Alvida, Sakina,” he said, with another small bow when they were finished.

“Alvida, David,” she repeated, knowing that it meant goodbye.

She watched as he jumped on the rocks again and returned the wave he sent her when he drove away.

* * *

“Sir, I have a car with an unfamiliar license plate approaching,” J.A.R.V.I.S. announced. A split second later there was an audible crash from outside Tony’s Malibu mansion. 

Tony waved his hand to switch the screen from the movie he and Pepper were watching to a security camera of what was happening outside. Someone had crashed into the curving wall that surrounded his driveway. Smoke was curling from the car’s crumpled bonnet but from that angle there seemed to be no sign of activity from anything inside.

Tony gave Pepper a warning look. “Stay here,” he commanded, leaving her on the settee and racing off to investigate further. Recent experience taught him that it was better to be cautious so he quickly suited up and made his way to the wrecked car. 

It was Granger.

She was slumped, unconscious against the steering wheel’s airbag. He used his suit to cut the door away from the rest of the car and threw it to one side, before carefully extricating Granger from the vehicle. He carried her inside to where Pepper was watching anxiously. 

“Oh my God! Hermione!” Pepper cried when she saw who was in Tony’s arms. “I’ll call an ambulance.”

A moan escaped Granger’s mouth and Pepper stopped in surprise. “No ambulance,” she said, her voice not much more than a whisper. Tony continued to carry her down to his lab where he was most equipped to be able to help her, should the need arise. He wasn’t surprised at her desire to avoid the emergency services, for they were bound to ask a lot of awkward questions.

“You’ve just been in a car crash,” Pepper reminded her, concern evident in her voice, as Tony laid her down carefully. “And, holy crap, have you been shot!?” 

Tony frowned at the lack of information he was getting from J.A.R.V.I.S. about Granger and her injuries, but then he remembered the stipulation she had made with the computer program that it not be used to investigate her. He didn’t need J.A.R.V.I.S.’s data to see that Pepper was right though – there was a clear bullet hole in her upper right arm and blood was flowing freely from it. 

“Granger, let me use J.A.R.V.I.S. to help you otherwise I’m taking you to the hospital myself. Got it?” He hoped that she would see sense.

She opened her eyes with a pained expression. “I don’t trust you.”

“And that’s the thanks I get for trying to help you?” he muttered angrily. “You’re the one who’s crashed into my home and – wait, the person who shot you, they’re not following you are they?” He wasn’t worried for himself, of course, but he’d jump off a cliff without his suit before he let anything happen to Pepper.

“No! Lost them about ten miles away,” she gasped painfully. “Couldn’t leave the car. Got my blood.”

“Fine. Well, anyway, hospital it is!” He scooped her up slightly more roughly than he should have done and she yelped. 

“Tony!” Pepper objected, eyes wide.

“All right!” Granger ground out through gritted teeth. “I give my consent, J.A.R.V.I.S. Just find out what’s wrong with me then I can fix it and be out of your way.” 

“Yes, Ms Granger,” J.A.R.V.I.S. announced and Tony was immediately assaulted with visual information about her injuries. “The bullet has cracked your right humerus and become lodged in the flesh. Your left wrist has been fractured, your ribcage is severely bruised and there are breaks in ribs five and six on your right side and six and seven on your left. You have snapped the Achilles tendon in your right foot and have a moderate form of concussion and whiplash.” J.A.R.V.I.S. showed the extent of her damage on the screens in the lab.

“Er, maybe we’d better pay a visit to the hospital after all,” Pepper suggested, frowning at the scans J.A.R.V.I.S. was showing. 

“No,” Granger sighed breathlessly, struggling up to a sitting position. “No, I can manage.” 

She pulled her wand out from inside her cream jacket and placed it in her lap. There was then a surreal moment when she buried her left arm deep inside her jacket pocket, which looked physically impossible. “Er, Mary Poppins? Do you need some help?” 

Granger’s eyes glinted in triumph and from the pocket she pulled out a large glass vial of crimson liquid that was far too large to fit into the pocket in the first place. She ignored Tony’s offer of help and turned to Pepper. “Could you pour me out about a quarter of that?”

“Sure,” Pepper replied, looking around for a suitable receptacle.

“Hello!” Tony called, waving his arms around, still encased in his suit. “I think I’m the most qualified to be of assistance here!” 

Granger accepted the poured out liquid from Pepper and downed it in one, then winced and held a hand to her sore ribs. “Thanks. That should take care of the pain for now.” She sounded calm and collected but Tony could tell how shaken up she was by the way the glass trembled in her hands. 

“What else do you need?” Pepper asked anxiously. 

Tony watched forlornly as Granger forced the red potion back into her pocket. 

“Call Coulson for me?” Granger requested. “Just let him know that I’m all right and I’ll get in contact when I’ve patched myself up.”

Pepper nodded and left the room to carry out her task. 

Granger turned her gaze back to Tony. “You want to help?” 

“No, I’ve always preferred to sit at the side and watch the world drift by without me,” he muttered sarcastically. 

“Shut up, Tony,” she retorted hotly. “I need you to hold my arm, keep it as steady as you can.” 

“Wait, are you going to operate on yourself? That’s stupid! Just let me do it!”

“I don’t remember you qualifying as a surgeon,” she said, one eyebrow raised.

“Any idiot can be a surgeon,” he claimed confidently. “I built an arc reactor to save my life – no surgeon would’ve been able to do the same.” 

Granger shook her head. “I don’t need ground-breaking technology,” she pointed out. “Magical incisions are much easier for me to heal anyway. Now, are you going to help me or not?”

Tony ignored the fact that his role wasn’t much more than that of a pair of clamps, and watched in quiet fascination as Granger used her wand to further slice open the flesh of her arm. She was using J.A.R.V.I.S. to be precise in her work and avoid cutting into the brachial artery. He was desperate to make some comment on the blood that was staining the hands of his suit but he didn’t dare break her concentration. 

Less than a minute later, a tiny metal object was floating in the air between them. It fell to the ground with a slight clink. Granger tapped Tony on the arm to show that he could let go of her. She muttered a couple of incantations and he heard a click that he presumed was her bone resetting itself. She pulled another bottle from her impossible pocket and pulled out the lid with a pipette attached. She squeezed a few drops over her bullet wound, causing green smoke to appear. When it had cleared, Tony saw that her wound was virtually non-existent. 

“What’s that stuff called?” Tony asked, hoping that his tone was casually interested. 

Granger gave him a look that clearly said that he should know better than to ask her something like that. “How’s it looking, J.A.R.V.I.S.?” she asked instead, flexing her repaired limb.

“No further breaks or fractures are showing in the damaged area,” J.A.R.V.I.S. replied. “The flesh is slightly inflamed but that should wear off in a few hours. You have done a very neat job, Ms Granger.” 

“Thank you,” she responded, looking at the new scans J.A.R.V.I.S. was showing of her arm. “Now, onto the next one.”

By the time Pepper returned a few minutes later, Tony had given up expecting to be of any further use in his suit and had stored it away – but not before cleaning Granger’s blood off of it. After a minute of internal deliberation, he decided to secret her blood samples away to investigate on a rainy day. Yes, he’d promised her he wouldn’t, but there was bound to come a time when he and Granger were no longer on friendly terms (it was something of a mathematical certainty with him) and he knew he would regret not having something he could use to shine the light on her secrets. 

“How’s it going in here?” Pepper asked. Her eyes widened at the lack of wound on Granger’s arm. “You sure look like you’re on the mend.” 

Granger nodded. “I’m almost done.” She waved her wand around her head a couple of times, muttering under her breath. A pale green, smoky light appeared, like a diseased halo, before shrinking in circumference until it seemed to disappear inside her head. “What did Coulson say?”

“He’s just glad you’re OK,” Pepper replied with a soothing smile. “He says you’re to take a couple of days off.” Granger opened her mouth, looking very unhappy with that news but Pepper cut her off. “No arguments,” she insisted sternly. “He said you’d object.”

Granger’s shoulders slumped and she rubbed a hand over her eyes. “He’s cross with me for screwing up,” she mumbled. Tony was quite alarmed to see that her eyes were rather wet when she took her hand away.

“Er, I’m just going to...” Tony began, taking a step towards the door but he paused at the fierce look Pepper sent him. She didn’t honestly think that his presence near an emotional Granger would be a good thing, did she? “...To do some work,” he said, slinking off to the workbench that was furthest from the two women.

He managed to tune out most of the reassurances that Pepper was offering Granger, as he deliberately made more noise than was necessary, until the ringtone of Pepper’s cell cut through the room. 

Pepper looked to her phone with a grimace. “I’m  _ so _ sorry, Hermione, but I have to take this. I’ll be back in a couple of minutes.” Pepper gave Tony an expectant look and tilted her head at Granger. Tony pulled a disgruntled face but Pepper didn’t waver. He threw his tools down in disgust. Sometimes he really questioned who had the alpha status in their relationship… 

“Want a drink?” he called over to Granger, as Pepper slipped out of the room again. 

“Not with the potion,” she replied, still sounding glum. “Unless you’ve got some water?”

“Never heard of it,” he answered, pouring himself a generous amount of alcohol, for that was the only way he could see himself getting through the next couple of minutes. “You could suck on an ice cube though.”

“Pass,” she sighed.

“Suit yourself.” He came over to sit closer – not close enough to see her eye to eye, but not so far away that he felt like a dick. “But, hey, a couple of days off is good, right? You could have a bit of R&R, go to a spa and sit in a pile of mud, or whatever it is you girls do.” But Tony knew that didn’t seem the right suggestion; Granger didn’t look the type to go to a health resort. “Or maybe go home to England and see the family?” 

He knew he’d said the wrong thing as soon as her face scrunched up and more tears leaked out of the corners of her eyes. “We’re not really on speaking terms at the moment,” she admitted miserably with a little shake of her head.

_ Shit. _ “Oh, um, what about friends? Or a boyfriend – or girlfriend if you swing that way.” 

At this suggestion she dissolved into rather noisy sobs.  _ Shit, shit, shit! _ He’d quite happily face all of Hammer’s drones again instead of being here with a crying girl.

“W-we broke up!” she cried. Or at least that’s what Tony thought she said, as much of her mouth was obscured by the hands she’d buried her face into. “A-and all of my friends are Ron’s friends too and I know they think it’s my fault because I’m always away so much!” 

Tony strode over to the door. “Pepper!” he called desperately. To his utter relief, Pepper hurried back looking alarmed. 

“What is it?” she asked, then gasped when she caught sight of Granger. “Tony!” she admonished, quickly sweeping Granger up into a hug.

“I was honestly trying to help!” Tony insisted as Granger sobbed onto Pepper’s shoulder. “J.A.R.V.I.S, back me up here.” 

“Mr Stark had the best of intentions, Miss Potts.” The computer system said. “Even I sometimes struggle to understand the complexities of human interactions, so you can imagine how difficult it is for someone like Mr Stark.”

“See!” Tony emphasised.

“Come on, Hermione,” Pepper soothed, helping Granger get to her feet. “Let’s go somewhere a bit more comfortable and Tony can get us some cocoa.”

“Cocoa?” Tony scoffed. 

“Yes, cocoa,” Pepper repeated, a steeliness in her voice. “And ice cream.”

“We don’t even have any ice cr- oh!” Tony could have kissed her for giving him a way out of this mess.

“I have twenty locations within a four mile radius that sell ice cream, sir,” J.A.R.V.I.S. announced. 

“Try a forty mile radius,” Tony requested when Pepper and Granger had left the room.

The ice cream had melted by the time Tony returned to his mansion. 

“Hermione’s sleeping in one of your guest rooms,” Pepper told him upon arrival. Tony scowled; that was not particularly welcome news. He hated it when he had a guest that had to use a separate room (not that he wanted Granger to share his bed either). “You were the one that wanted to adopt her when we first met her, remember?” Pepper teased, aware of Tony’s displeasure.

“Well, that was before I knew what a pain in the ass she’d be,” he retorted.

“Look, she was exhausted after everything that’s happened,” Pepper explained, linking her arm through his. “Most people would be more than a little unsettled after being shot  _ or _ crashing a car, and there was that other stuff as well.” 

“Did she open up to you?” Tony asked. He wasn’t particularly bothered about Granger’s emotional welfare, he was more interested in finding out about  _ her _ . That little tidbit about her friends and family was pretty much the only personal thing she had ever told him about herself. 

Pepper frowned. “She didn’t go into details but that’s hardly surprising given where she works.” 

“Damn S.H.I.E.L.D.,” he muttered. “So, do you still want some cocoa and ice cream?” 

Pepper took the cold cocoa and warm ice cream from him. “And where did you drive to get these?” 

“San Francisco.” 

“Wow.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Stay safe everyone!


	9. Chapter 9

Natasha walked confidently down the cobbled street. The tall buildings of the narrow street meant that she could mostly travel within the shadows, despite the cloudless Sicilian night above. Erice was the type of town that was both a blessing and a curse to an agent, for there were plenty of escape routes for her but also hiding places for any enemies.

Not that she should be encountering any foes that night. The annual workshop on Molecular Gastronomy was in town, which was about very clever, scientific ways to cook, present and experience food. Her assignment was to sound out the most gifted attendees and try to convince them to turn their talents to working with S.H.I.E.L.D instead. It wasn’t her most exciting detail but she’d gotten to sample a lot of delicious (and strange) food – something she didn’t normally get to enjoy. A lot of their current work was really quite pointless but the ability was definitely there, it just needed to be pointed to a more useful purpose, and Natasha could be  _ very _ persuasive. 

When she had first received details of the assignment, she’d thought that there’d been a mistake. But when she’d arrived and seen the stunning scenery and beaches, she allowed herself a small smile. Fury knew she didn’t take vacations and this was his idea of enforcing one on her. If the Director wanted her to spend most of her time visiting Norman castles, sunning herself on the beach and occasionally chatting to a peculiar chef whilst eating scrambled egg and bacon ice cream, who was she to argue?

Natasha had no warning before the tranquilizer dart pierced the side of her neck. She reacted instantly, pulling the dart free, but she could already tell that she was too late as her limbs grew heavy and her world turned black.

She was slow to regain consciousness; whatever they had drugged her with was very strong. She could’ve been out of it for hours or days, she had no real way of being able to tell. She was unable to move her limbs, but whether this was because they were restrained or it was a side effect of the tranquilizer, she couldn’t be sure. Someone spoke but her mind was too scrambled to tell if it was in one of the languages she spoke. 

Someone kicked her in the ribs, making her groan at the pain. If her ribs were that sore while she was still drugged, she hated to think how badly she’d been damaged.

“Cosa vuoi?” she mumbled, asking what they wanted in Italian. “Perché sono qui?”

“Nous attendons,” a male voice replied in French.  _ We are waiting _ .

“Qu'est-ce que vous attendez?” she asked.  _ What are you waiting for?  _ She tried to open her eyes so that she could see her captors, but black spots danced in her vision and she closed them again.

“No es lo que. Quien.” he spoke in Spanish this time (at least Natasha thought it was the same man).  _ Not what. Who. _

“¿A quién estamos esperando?” she asked, playing along by changing language again.  _ Who are we waiting for? _ She doubted that she was going to like the answer.

“Koldun'ya.” The harsh tone her native tongue was spoken in wasn’t nearly as unsettling as the word itself:  _ Sorceress _ .

Natasha thought it probably best not to say anything at all. This person (or people, as it was unlikely he was acting alone) already knew far too much about Granger, which severely worried her. It was over six months since Hermione had qualified as an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D and though Natasha wasn’t privy to knowing all the details, she knew the young woman had racked up an impressive number of successful assignments. 

It had only taken a few weeks for whispers of a sorceress to start spreading amongst S.H.I.E.L.D’s various workers. The fact that barely anyone knew any details about this mysterious agent only fuelled the fire. The name ‘Hermione Granger’ wasn’t heard around S.H.I.E.L.D except by a chosen few. All of Granger’s issued identity showed her as Saskia Hailsham-Grey, a Level 4 agent who specialised in code breaking. 

When she did go out into the big, bad world, Granger took care to take her disguise potion whenever she completed an assignment, picking both men and women in equal amounts. Natasha also knew that Hermione would further alter her appearance so that facial recognition wouldn’t be used and therefore endanger the life of an innocent person. Most of this was unnecessary as she would also make herself invisible or difficult to detect anyway. From what Natasha had managed to glean from Coulson (as the man was still in overall charge of Granger and her assignments) Hermione’s work involved a lot of intelligence gathering, especially since she and Stark had developed a device that was invisible to the naked eye. But Natasha also knew that she was thrown into operations that had gone sour to rescue agents and assets at the last minute. It was hardly surprising that some sort of criminal organisation had gotten fed up with the ‘Sorceress’ beating them at the death. 

Natasha presumed that she had been abducted in order to lure the Sorceress into a trap. She hoped that the reason they had chosen  _ her _ to act as bait for Granger was just a coincidence, but given their personal history, she doubted it.

And if Hermione came, what then? Did these people just want her dead? They’d have a pretty hard time carrying that out. Maybe they wanted to turn the agent to fight for their cause? Natasha had always thought Granger was too soft and if these people used physical and emotional torture, she doubted Hermione would hold out. Natasha also recalled what Granger said about her abilities coming from her genes. Would they want to experiment on her, use her DNA as a blueprint to create others like her? None of the scenarios that Natasha came up with sounded positive. She just hoped that Granger would stay away…

* * *

When Hermione apparated into Natasha’s suspected location, something happened that had never occurred during her S.H.I.E.L.D assignments: the occupants of the room knew she was there despite her invisibility. Within two seconds of her arrival, about fifteen guns were pointing at her exact position, all held by masked mercenaries. She froze, wondering what to do. The fact that these people had obviously been expecting her meant that she must be in the right place for Natasha, but they also knew enough about her to have strategies in place to attempt to neutralise her abilities.

Another masked person, who seemed unarmed, separated themself from the others and made a sweeping gesture. “Welcome, Sorceress. You honour us with your presence.” The voice was female and had a strange accent that Hermione couldn’t quite place because it seemed to be influenced by a great many places. “I’m aware that it’s not wise to show your trump card early but I know you have a habit of not sticking around to make a game of it.” The woman clicked her fingers and an image appeared on a huge screen that Hermione had assumed was just the back wall of the room. Fear swept through her body at what she saw: a pistol was being held against Natasha’s head and a blade held against her throat. “If you leave or start using your sorcery on us, my colleagues will not hesitate to dispatch Agent Romanoff.”

Hermione didn’t doubt that she was telling the truth. She tried to force herself to stay calm despite the perilous situation she and Natasha were in. She assumed that the masks the people wore contained a thermal imaging device because that was the only way she could think of for them to be able to see her. She took off the cloak and let it fall to the ground, revealing her disillusioned self, but kept her wand out and ready.

“What do you want?” she asked. The voice and body she was using was not her own, but that of a middle-aged woman who worked as a lecturer in Miami. The Polyjuice Potion would only last for another fifty-five minutes so unless she managed to escape before then, they would know the identity of the Sorceress. 

“We want you.”

It was the answer that Hermione was expecting but it didn’t stop a chill running down her spine. 

“You’ve got me,” she replied. “Now what?” And that was the question Hermione was seriously asking herself. How on earth was she going to find out Natasha’s whereabouts from these people without using magic and causing the agent’s death? There were a number of devices in her extended pocket that would provide a suitable distraction but they were just as likely to kill Natasha as one of her spells. There was absolute silence coming from the device in her ear connecting her to Coulson, and she could only presume that these people had found a way to jam their communications. This was a shame, as there was bound to be someone at S.H.I.E.L.D who could send a false video feed to the people with Natasha to free Hermione up to use her magic. 

There was  _ one _ solution, but she was terrified of crossing that moral line. The Imperius Curse was not something to be cast without serious consideration. The problem was, she didn’t  _ have _ much time to think about it. It boiled down to using the curse, rescuing Natasha and facing life in Wizarding prison  _ or _ risking her own and Natasha’s lives and the possibility of magical kind being discovered all around the world. That didn’t seem like a difficult choice after all.

“Now, we’ll take possession of your wand,” the woman said and, as she spoke, two of the mercenaries seized her arms. Hermione bit back the Imperius Curse that was on the tip of her tongue. Now was not the time. But nor could she let them have her wand. 

Acting quickly but focusing hard, she wordlessly teleported her own wand out of her hand. It was a spell she had been practicing for a few months just in case a situation like this should arise. Enchantments upon your own wand were very tricky to get right so she was relieved to keep the magical device away from these people. 

“That was a mistake,” the woman said coldly. “And Agent Romanoff is the one who is going to pay for it. Take one of her fingers,” she ordered, turning to the screen. Hermione saw Natasha’s eyes widen as the knife was removed from her neck. A sick feeling pooled in her stomach as the knife man forced her hand to splay on the table, while the other continued to push the gun against her skull. “Make it slow. The Sorceress needs to know what happens when she disobeys.”

Hermione realized that it was the perfect time to act and, what was better, she wouldn’t even have to use an unforgivable curse. As horrendous as it was, Natasha being tortured was the perfect distraction because it kept the torturers’ attention mostly on Romanoff. The mercenaries in the room with herself also thought Granger less dangerous than before because she had magicked her wand away, but what they didn’t know was that she hadn’t sent it far – just into her deceptive pocket. The way her arms were being restricted meant that she could inch her fingers into her pocket and the position of the guard’s body even prevented her movement from being seen by the others. 

Natasha had yet to make a noise as her index finger was slowly sliced away. Hermione knew that Romanoff was a tough cookie but surely even she wouldn’t be able to bear the pain. 

“No, please!” Hermione begged, playing her part to avoid suspicion. “Stop!” 

“The lesson must be learned,” the woman insisted, turning back to the screen. 

Hermione’s fingers closed around the wood of her wand and she yanked it free, while wordlessly casting a freezing charm. A blue light swept around the room but the other occupants remained still. She glanced anxiously at the screen but saw to her immense relief that they hadn’t noticed.

“No, stop it!” she cried, keeping up appearances, as Natasha screamed for the first time.

Wrenching her arms free from the guards, she hurried forwards to the woman, tore the mask from her face and wasted no time in performing legilimency on her. Hermione was assaulted with various images and thoughts that made little sense to her. She pushed the idea of Natasha Romanoff into the woman’s mind and hurriedly sifted through until she found where the agent was being held. Quickly, she pulled out of her mind. A last minute glance told Hermione that the people hurting Natasha were still unaware that anything was amiss. 

An instant later, she apparated behind the man with the gun and hit him with a powerful stunner, before blasting the other across the room. His head hit the wall with a crack then he slumped against the floor. She grabbed Natasha and disapparated them both to a S.H.I.E.L.D safe house in Istanbul. Romanoff’s eyes seemed out of focus and she slumped to the ground, unable to support her own body. Hermione assumed she’d been kept drugged since her abduction the previous day. Hermione looked down at Natasha’s mutilated finger and started summoning supplies out of her pocket in response. 

“You took your time,” Natasha mumbled, as Hermione busied herself with essence of dittany and blood replenishing potions. 

“I’m sorry,” she replied with a slight smile. “Your finger’s going to be OK. Just drink these for me,” she instructed, handing over a couple of small bottles.

“Do they taste nice?” Natasha asked.

“Depends on your definition of ‘nice’,” Hermione answered, getting to her feet. “I’ve got to go back and take care of a few things. I won’t be long, I promise.” She disapparated before Natasha could offer an objection and reappeared back where she’d cast the freezing charm. 

As soon as Hermione landed, she became aware of an intense heat and she threw up the strongest shield she could to protect herself. Thick, black smoke surrounded her, making it almost impossible to see anything. The soles of her feet were beginning to burn, despite the protections she’d conjured. Taking a step to the side, she bumped into something. She took a torch out of her pocket and shone it around. It was still difficult to see much through the smoke but when she saw what she’d nudged, she screamed. One of the mercenaries she’d frozen was still standing in place, but his flesh had mostly been blasted and burnt away. Hermione retched at the revolting scene, though she knew that it was probably repeated on all the other occupants of the room too. 

Hermione’s assumption that the woman had been the head of this organisation had been quite wrong, for whoever was truly in charge had wasted no time in disposing of the mercenaries before she got a chance to find out any more about them. It was a cold-hearted, merciless act and the worst thing was that the Sorceress had gotten their attention.

* * *

Hermione cleared her throat. “Captain Rogers?” she enquired of the blond man whose back was to her. He turned at his name and smiled at her.

“Agent Granger?” If Hermione didn’t know that this man remembered the early 1940s as though they were yesterday, she would think he had dressed in a fashionably retro style, but his high-waisted trousers were not something you’d really find on anyone under seventy.

She nodded and offered a hand, which he shook. “Please, call me Hermione,” she suggested. 

“Of course, ma’am,” he replied instinctively then cringed. Being called ‘ma’am’ by someone who was technically nearly a hundred years old was a rather odd moment for her. “Uh, Hermione. Sorry.” 

“It’s fine,” she replied with an easy smile. “There’s no need to stand on protocol, Captain.”

“Steve,” he corrected.

“Steve,” she repeated amiably. “So, where would you like to go? I expect this feels like a very different city after a gap of sixty-six years.” They were standing on the corner of 42nd and Lexington, outside the Chrysler Building and just along from Grand Central Station.

“Yeah, you could say that,” he agreed, his eyes casting around the people and vehicles passing them by. “But at least you picked somewhere I know for us to meet.”

“It’s the best skyscraper in New York,” she replied with a shrug.

He nodded with a slightly surprised and impressed expression. “Agreed.” 

“But not my favourite building,” she claimed.

“No? Care to enlighten me?” he asked. “Is it something new to me?” 

“Let’s just say, if you’ve never heard of it, I’ll be making serious judgements about you.” He balked at the statement but her laugh seemed to relax him. “Come on, I’ll show you. It’s not far.”

As they walked west along 42nd, it didn’t take him long to guess. 

“The New York Public Library,” he said, looking over at the grand, white building that was just a couple of blocks from where they had started. 

“And that tells you pretty much all you need to know about me,” Hermione admitted with a self-deprecating grin. “The nickname ‘bookworm’ has been used on more than one occasion.”

Steve laughed. “Now I understand why Fury asked  _ you _ to help get me up to speed on modern life.”

“That might be something to do with it,” she agreed with a smile, as they crossed the street to the library. “But also, to a certain extent, I can relate to feeling quite behind with technology.” 

“How so?”

“I had a rather sheltered life growing up,” she explained. “I was educated at a pretty old-fashioned boarding school in the middle of nowhere, so I had a lot to learn when I came over here.”

She saw his eyes roam over various electronic devices that the people who passed him were using. “Tell me about it,” he muttered.

“Well, the library is actually a pretty good place to start; we’ll stick with paper books for now.”

He frowned at her. “What else are books made out of?!”

* * *

Hermione was impressed with the calm way that Steve was taking in the maelstrom of new information. They had been in the library for a couple of hours, catching up on the important historical events of the first ten years that he’d missed. They’d agreed to take things slowly to give him time to acclimatise, and had put his cultural education on the backburner for a while, in favour of upping his use of technology. He’d been impressed by the e-books she’d shown him, which had led to a complicated explanation of the internet and online shopping. 

She and Fury had decided that it would be best to avoid any mention of her abilities to Steve. He had been told that he was entirely free to choose what to do with his life now. Hermione was only there to help ease him back into the twenty-first century and there was no obligation for him to join S.H.I.E.L.D, although she knew that he would be a very valuable ally. But until they joined forces, there was no point in alarming him with her magic – the poor guy had already been through so much. 

“I’m sorry to interrupt, Miss Hailsham-Grey,” a female librarian said, pausing her and Steve’s discussion on Rosa Parks. “This room will be closing in fifteen minutes.” 

Hermione smiled. “Thank you, Alice.” 

Steve waited until the librarian had left, before giving her a knowing smile. “Hailsham-Grey?” 

She shrugged. “Hermione Granger has a lot of secrets and every good agent needs an alias, don’t they,  _ Captain _ ?”

“I don’t think any of my names are subtle enough to be true aliases.”

“Yes, but ‘The Star Spangled Man with a Plan’ has such a lovely ring to it,” she teased.

“You’re funny,” he replied dryly. 

“Sorry, I’ve been around Stark too much,” she grinned. 

He did a double take. “ _ Stark _ ?”

“Yes,  _ Tony _ Stark, Howard’s son,” Hermione explained, the mood dampening somewhat as all the ghosts from Steve’s past were brought rushing back to him. “We’ll get on to Tony soon enough – the silly prat can’t stay out of the limelight for long.”

“Is that ugly great building his?” Steve asked, jerking his head towards the window. They couldn’t see it from where they sat, but the not-quite-completed Stark Tower wasn’t far away.

Hermione raised an ironic eyebrow. “Was it his name slapped up the top that gave it away?”

Steve grimaced slightly in distaste. “Maybe, but, you two are friends?”

“Er, reluctantly, yes,” she answered, unsure of who had initially shown the greater averseness, but she truly did count Tony as a friend. Steve seemed to hear the warmth in her tone but didn’t question her further. She reached down and pulled a paper file from her handbag. “Now, I know you’ve been given very vague details of what happened to your ‘Howling Commandos’ team and your colleagues at the Strategic Scientific Reserve, but most of the answers to your questions should be in here.” She slid the folder across the table to him. The stamped red word of ‘Classified’ stood out starkly against the pale card. “I thought this was something you would rather look at by yourself,” she said softly. Steve stared at it, his jaw clenched. 

“Thank you,” he replied stiffly. 

Hermione shook her head. “No thanks necessary. You saved so many lives.”

“We were at war. I did what anyone would have done.” Steve wasn’t bragging or boasting. He genuinely believed that what he’d done was no great feat. He reminded her so much of Harry at that moment that her heart ached, and all the hardships of their fight against Voldemort swirled through her mind.

Their eyes met across the table. 

“I understand,” she whispered, surprising herself by saying it. 

He frowned. “You’ve been at war.” It wasn’t a question. 

Her eyes widened in alarm. “No, no of course not,” she denied quickly. “Desolate boarding school education, remember?”

“You’re lying,” he accused flatly, picking up the folder and rising from his chair.

“I’m not – ”

“Save your breath, Miss Granger,” he interrupted, looking down on her. “I get that with your job a lot of what you do is none of my business: it’s confidential and that’s fine. But don’t lie to me – no one’s ever lied to me.” His tone wasn’t cold, but it still left her feeling worse than any scolding by Snape had. Yes, she was lying, but she couldn’t admit that to him. She already had too many cover stories. She was deceiving  _ so _ many people. In fact, the only person she wasn’t lying to was Kingsley and she didn’t even tell him everything that she was doing with S.H.I.E.L.D.

Hermione shrugged her jacket back on and picked up her handbag forlornly, as his footsteps echoed in the corridor. She’d known that being an agent was going to be difficult but she hadn’t been prepared for the loneliness she would experience. Her work at the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures had been unfulfilling, but she’d had Ron, Harry and her other friends; she didn’t have the pressure of multiple duplicities bearing down on her or the fear of an imminent attack at every moment. 

For once, the beauty of the library’s furnishings and architecture were somewhat lost on her as she made her way out to the twilight skies. 

S.H.I.E.L.D had been unable to determine who had been responsible for Natasha’s abduction a couple of months ago, which made Hermione rather anxious. Some of S.H.I.E.L.D’s agents had investigated the scene of the explosion after Hermione had left, but there had been next to nothing for them to work with because even the human remains she’d discovered hadn’t been left behind. The whole building had been incinerated, as well as the location where Natasha had been kept. Whoever these people were, they were extremely dedicated in keeping their identity a secret. She had no doubt that they would try to reach out to her again and she dreaded to think what lengths they’d go to next time.

But despite the fear, the guilt and the loneliness, she enjoyed being an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D far too much to consider quitting. 

Hermione glanced up at Stark Tower and considered popping in to see Pepper and Tony, seeing as her chat with Captain Rogers had ended on such a bad note. She doubted she’d be a particularly welcome guest when she knew they were so close to getting the building’s arc reactor up and running, but maybe she could be of some assistance. 

She was just about to dial Pepper’s number into her phone when it started ringing, showing Coulson’s ID.

“I’m giving you coordinates for the Mojave desert,” he said quickly. “Get yourself over here.  _ Now _ .” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to try and do more mid-week updates for a while. No promises because I might forget but I'll do my best. This concludes the first arc in the series (Hermione Granger: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D) and next time we'll get going with part two - Hermione Granger: Avenger.
> 
> Hope you're all keeping safe.


	10. Chapter 10 - Hermione Granger: Avenger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did a mid-week post this week so make sure you've checked out Chapter 9 before reading this one!
> 
> The next few chapters borrow dialogue from Avengers Assemble, which I obviously don't own the rights to.

By the time Nick Fury arrived at the Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S. facility in the Mojave Desert, Hermione Granger was in a very bad mood. She’d been summoned to the site’s coordinates by Agent Coulson three hours previously and had been more than surprised to discover the secret S.H.I.E.L.D-and-NASA-run base. What had been an even more disturbing sight was the little, blue cube deep in the bowels of the facility that was making everyone quite flustered. 

“But I thought it was lost in Captain Rogers’ final battle with Schmidt?” she questioned, turning to Coulson, who had escorted her down. 

“Howard Stark discovered it at the bottom of the ocean in 1945,” he replied, as they watched scientists in white lab coats hurry between various machines.

Hermione frowned. That bit of information had definitely been omitted from the report she’d read nearly a year ago. She had a feeling that Fury had specifically kept her in the dark about the Tesseract, and suspicions whirled around her mind at the motives he may have had. 

“Well, what am I doing here then?” she asked. “I don’t see how I can be of any use when you’ve got a whole team of scientists at your disposal and I know next to nothing about the Tesseract.” 

“There was a huge energy spike from the cube about an hour ago,” Coulson explained. “It was completely spontaneous; no tests were being run at the time and now those energy levels are rising. Our lead scientist, Dr Selvig, has tried shutting it down but apparently nothing is working. If the situation doesn’t improve soon, we will issue an evacuation.”

Hermione appraised the man who seemed to be issuing all the instructions. When she had met with Jane Foster a few months ago to discuss Thor and the Nine Realms theory, Jane had spoken incredibly highly of Dr Erik Selving. If S.H.I.E.L.D had put him in charge of this research, then Hermione trusted that he knew what he was doing. 

“You want me to see what impact my magic would have on it,” she stated, not particularly thrilled at the idea. One of the scientists probed at the tesseract with some sort of technical instrument and the cube spat out a surge of blue energy at him, making him step back in alarm. “Have you considered that I might make it worse?” 

“Yes, but Fury wants you to try anyway,” Coulson replied, ushering her to the middle of the huge laboratory. “We really haven’t got a lot of options. Dr Selvig,” he called, making the doctor turn. “This is Agent Granger. She’s going to be running a couple of tests of her own on the Tesseract – Director’s orders.”

Dr Selvig didn’t look very happy with that statement and Hermione tried not to be intimidated as he looked her over. “What sort of tests?” 

“Magical ones,” she replied simply. Hermione doubted that if Selvig hadn’t had a previous run-in with a god from another world, he would have been so accepting of that answer. 

“What do you need?” he asked instead. 

“I think it would be best to have as few people here as possible,” she said. “There’s a strong possibility that my tests will only make the situation worse.”

Dr Selvig nodded and started telling his team to move out. 

“You might want to fill Agent Barton in on what you’re planning,” Coulson suggested, indicating far over his shoulder to where the wall and the ceiling met. When Hermione squinted, she could just make out a little figure perched, watching the proceedings.

“I’ll be back in a minute,” she said, before apparating next to Barton. 

He flinched at her arrival. “Give me some warning next time,” he muttered, not taking his eyes off the Tesseract.

“Sorry, it’s quicker this way,” she explained, taking a seat alongside him. “Um, hello, we haven’t been properly introduced.” 

He spared her an unimpressed glance. “Really? You want to do this now?” 

She was glad that he wouldn’t be able to see her blush in the dim light. “I don’t want things to be awkward between us after Anchorage.” 

“Why would that be awkward? We were just doing our jobs,” he pointed out. “I’m actually pretty proud of the fact that I’ve got the record for holding out against the Sorceress for the longest: twenty-seven seconds.” 

Hermione’s eyes widened in surprise and she wasn’t quite sure how to respond to that comment. “Oh! Well, Fury wants me to run some tests on the cube to see if I make things better. You can wait outside if you…” He sent her another flat glance. “Or, OK, just stay here.” She apparated back down to the floor and found that only Coulson and Selvig remained. “Are you sure you want to stay? I really don’t know what’s going to happen.” Neither man moved. 

She approached the Tesseract tentatively and drew her wand from inside her jacket. A complicated machine was keeping the cube held in place. From what she’d seen, the Tesseract didn’t like being approached by anything else so she hoped that Selvig’s contraptions wouldn’t find any of her magic too interfering. Taking a steadying breath, she sent a basic shielding charm to wrap itself gently around the cube to try and dampen the interference it was radiating. 

The misty, white light contracted around the Tesseract as the readouts from the machines fluctuated and the lights of the lab flickered. When the perimeter of the shield was only a couple of inches away from the surface of the Tesseract, a burst of energy shot from it and raced along the path of the magic, back towards her. It all happened so quickly that she had no time to defend herself as it blasted her backwards into one of the lab’s machines, knocking her out. 

* * *

“How bad is it?” Nick Fury asked Agent Coulson when he and Hill had stepped out of the helicopter. 

“That’s the problem, sir,” Coulson replied, removing his sunglasses. “We don’t know.” He started to escort them down to the laboratory. “Dr Selvig read an energy surge from the Tesseract four hours ago.”

“NASA didn’t authorise Selvig to go to test phase,” Fury pointed out.

“He wasn’t testing; he wasn’t even in the room,” Coulson explained. “Spontaneous event.

“It just turned itself on?!” Agent Hill said in surprise, half a pace behind Fury and Coulson.

“Where are the energy levels now?” Fury asked.

“Climbing,” Coulson replied. “When Selvig couldn’t shut it down, we ordered evac.”

“Agent Granger wasn’t able to help?” Fury enquired with a frown, as people hurried past him with large metal containers.

Coulson shook his head. “Afraid not, sir. The cube’s energy launched her across the room after only one spell. She was out cold so some medics have already gotten her out.”

Fury nodded to show his understanding but he was disappointed that, for once, Granger couldn’t save the day. The possibility that her magic and the Tesseract’s energy wouldn’t mix well was one of the reasons he’d kept its location hidden from her in the first place. “How long to get everyone out?” he asked.

“Campus should be clear in the next half-hour,” Coulson responded. 

“Do better,” Fury ordered. With a nod of the head, Coulson left.

After ordering Hill to make sure the Phase Two prototypes were shipped out and hearing the concerns of Dr Selvig, Fury spoke with his agent on the scene – once he’d descended from his ‘nest’, anyway.

“I gave you this detail so you could keep a close eye on things,” Fury reminded Agent Barton as they walked towards the Tesseract.

“Well, I see better from a distance anyway,” Barton replied simply as one of the scientists warned of another energy spike.

“Have you seen anything that might set this thing off?” Fury asked.

“No-one’s come or gone as far as I can tell. But we both know that eyesight isn’t as reliable as we once thought it was…” Barton said, his meaning left hanging between them.

Fury frowned and put his hands on his hips. “If you suspect Agent Granger, just come right out and say it.”

“Selvig’s clean,” Barton stated, not intimidated by the Director’s tone. “If there was any tampering at this end, sir, it can only be her.”

A loud crack resounded in the lab and both men reached instinctively for their weapons along with the other armed agents in the room, however, they quickly saw it wasn’t necessary when the sprawled form on Agent Granger rolled across the ground a few feet away. She shook her head, as though dazed, and Fury walked forward to pull her to her feet.

Granger looked up at him with panicked eyes. “Sir, I know what’s going to happen!” she cried. The moment the words were out of her mouth, the room started to shake and the Tesseract forced out another wave of energy.

“The door is being opened from the other side of space,” Agent Barton stated and Granger nodded.

Another, more violent burst of blue light came from the cube. Others followed, growing increasingly powerful. All they could do was watch and wait, as a blue beam of energy burst from the Tesseract to the back of the laboratory. It certainly looked like a door to space, Fury decided, seeing the dark black hole that was being formed by the cube’s energy. The question was: who or what would be coming out of it?

All of a sudden, the energy creating the door exploded outwards at them all. Although it was blindingly bright, it caused no great harm. 

Fury looked back at where the door had been and saw a figure crouched there, steam rising off of it. 

“What do we do, sir?” Granger whispered, a tremor in her voice, as armed agents walked forwards, their weapons trained at the arrival. 

“Hold steady, Agent,” he replied, watching the figure slowly rise. Even from a distance, Fury could see the menacing grin on the man’s face. In his right hand, he held a long spear and at the top, it glowed a similar colour to the Tesseract. 

“Sir!” Fury called to him. “Please put down the spear!” He didn’t hold out much hope for a diplomatic agreement with the newcomer but it was worth a try.

The man looked at the spear in his hand, as though only just noticing it was there, before shooting a burst of energy at him. Barton and Granger pushed Fury out of the way and took up attacking positions, as the sounds of gunfire echoed around the room. Fury watched as the stranger worked quickly to incapacitate his men; blasting them with energy, throwing knives and stabbing them with his spear. When Granger fired her first spell at him, he ducked out of the way and showed her a look of surprise. She launched a tireless attack on him, different coloured lights illuminating the room. The newcomer had to move quickly to avoid them but one spell caught his left hand, slicing into the skin and drawing blood. Anger flashed in his eyes and he shot a sustained beam of energy at her. Granger erected a shield but Fury could see that it was already failing. The stranger let out a cry of triumph when she was thrown backwards, landing a few feet from Fury. His initial concern was lessened when he saw her breathing shallowly and her eyes blinking. 

Hearing a disturbance, Fury looked up. Agent Barton attempted to attack the stranger again but the man held him firm.

“You have heart.” They were the first words the newcomer had said. He pressed the tip of his spear to the aforementioned heart on Barton’s chest. A blue glow flowed from the spear into Barton, and Fury saw the agent’s eyes turn completely black. A second later they had cleared, although his irises matched the colour of the spear. Though, what was most alarming of all was Barton returning his gun to its holster and looking to this man for orders. The spear must have some sort of brainwashing power. 

Glancing around, Fury realised he had to get both the Tesseract and Granger out of there. 

Fury quietly pulled the cube out of Selvig’s machine while the stranger brainwashed a different agent, and he made eye contact with Granger. He pointed at the Tesseract as he sealed it away inside a specially designed briefcase, then at her, followed by mouthing the word, “Go!” He stood, intending to pass the case to her.

“Please don’t,” the stranger called softly. “I still need that.” 

Fury paused, shielding Granger from sight as she lay on the ground with wide eyes. Patience, he told himself. Wait for the perfect moment to give her time to get away. “This doesn’t have to get any messier,” he said over his shoulder.

“Of course it does,” the man replied calmly. “I’ve come too far for anything else.” Fury turned around to look the man in the eye. “I am Loki, of Asgard, and I am burdened with glorious purpose.”

That was a name that Fury was unfortunately familiar with. The Asgardian had brought enough trouble to earth last year without even having stepped foot on the planet.

“Loki!” Dr Selvig repeated, getting to his feet. “Brother of Thor.”

Loki didn’t look particularly pleased to hear a mention of his brother and he threw a seething look in Selvig’s direction.

Fury raised a placating hand. “We have no quarrel with your people.”

“An ant has no quarrel with a boot,” Loki replied imperiously. 

“Are you planning to step on us?” Fury asked, keeping his voice calm.

“I come with  _ glad _ tidings,” Loki insisted, walking casually across the lab. Fury tried not to tense as Loki got slightly closer to Granger’s position. “Of a world made free.”

“Free from what?” he asked, wary of Loki’s light tone.

“Freedom,” Loki replied simply. Fury felt his blood boil at the Asgardian’s words. “Freedom is life’s great lie. Once you accept that, in your heart…” Loki spun and turned his spear on Dr Selvig, the now-familiar transformation taking place in his eyes. “…you will know peace.”

Fury twisted and threw the briefcase to Granger. She caught the case against her chest, twisted and disappeared with a loud crack.

Loki looked around in surprise.

“Yeah, you say ‘peace’,” Fury said, feeling a lot more relieved. “I kind of think you mean the other thing.”

Loki glared at him. “Looks like the ant has rather a bite to it,” he said but his tone wasn’t as worried as Fury had expected it to be.

“Sir, Director Fury is stalling,” Barton stated, walking over to his new master. “This place is about to blow and drop 100 feet of rock on us. He means to bury us.” 

“Like the pharaohs of old,” Fury crowed.

“He’s right. The portal is collapsing in on itself,” Selvig confirmed, looking at one of his computer screens. “We’ve got maybe two minutes before this goes critical.”

“Well, then,” Loki said, with a glance to Agent Barton. Barton raised his hand and shot Fury in the chest, knocking the Director onto his back. “Let’s go get my cube. And who knows, maybe there will be an extra prize for me too.” 

Fury lay on his back, completely winded, as the four men walked swiftly from the laboratory. He had no idea where Granger would have taken the Tesseract but he had to try and stop Loki and the others from seeking her out. He reached for his walkie-talkie. “Hill! Do you copy?” He yanked the bullet from his body armour. “Barton’s turned.” 

The sound of gunshots echoed from not far away and he had faith that it was a positive sign. Fury glanced up at the mass of blue light that was swarming around the roof of the lab. He had to leave. Breathing was still difficult but he forced himself to run. “They’re after the Tesseract. Shut them down.”

There could be only a minute left before he’d be buried under project P.E.G.A.S.U.S. He climbed, knowing that his helicopter would be waiting on the roof. 

“We’re clear upstairs, sir,” Coulson’s voice crackled through the walkie-talkie. “You need to go.”

Fury stepped into the helicopter just in time, as the concrete began to crumble away a second after it had lifted. “Try and get in contact with Granger,” he ordered, watching the facility disappear into the ground. “She’s got the fate of the world in her hands.”

* * *

It was with another rather bumpy arrival that Hermione appeared about half a mile from project P.E.G.A.S.U.S’s facility. The speed of her arrival forced her to roll along the ground a few times and the briefcase was knocked out of her arms, spinning off into the desert. She lay on her back, her mind fighting against a swirling darkness that was threatening to send her into unconsciousness again. That bloody cube was proving to be an absolute pain in the arse! Not only had it knocked her out when she’d tried her tests, but its energy had had a strange effect on her magic: seemingly making her more powerful. When she’d woken in the medic van, she had attempted to use her wand to  _ carefully _ remove an IV drip from her arm, but her spell had shot the drip across the interior of the van hard enough to dent the metalwork and leave her arm a rather bloody mess. 

Hermione hadn’t paid this much mind though, because she’d known how important it was to warn the others about what was coming. She didn’t understand how, but it was as though the Tesseract had communicated with her, passing on knowledge about itself. The doorway was being opened from the other side of space and it couldn’t be for a good reason. Hence, her rather scrambled arrival back at the laboratory.

Underneath her, the ground shook and she could hear a monstrous rumbling noise, but it was as though someone kept manipulating a volume dial as she continued to fight unconsciousness. She forced herself to sit up. Using her wand to combat her concussion was out of the question with her magic so awry and she cursed as she realised that her jacket and all of its magically concealed contents had been taken off of her when she’d been evacuated. 

Until she heard otherwise, she’d have to assume that Loki was still at large. If that was the case, then he’d certainly be seeking the Tesseract. The Director had entrusted her with keeping the cube out of Loki’s grasp. But with limited resources in the middle of a desert, malfunctioning magic and a battered body, what was her best option? 

The greatest way she knew to keep something hidden was to use a Fidelius charm. The problem was she’d never cast one before. She knew it was a difficult spell even without her magic problems. But what else could she do? She could take the Tesseract to another secret S.H.I.E.L.D location but if Loki had turned Barton, then none of those places were secure any more. 

There was also the strong chance that the Tesseract wouldn’t want to be moved by her magic. It had reacted violently to the simple shield spell, but that had been when it was preparing itself to open the doorway. Perhaps it wouldn’t be so hostile now?

Hermione got unsteadily to her feet and lit her wand to search for the silver briefcase. The overly intense beam from her wand meant that it was easy to spot, but she disliked being this unfamiliar with her magic. 

She opened the briefcase and contemplated the glowing blue cube inside. It certainly seemed calmer now. She reached out cautiously with the tips of her finger and felt the smooth surface of the cube. A calmness came over her. As strange as it sounded, it was almost like the Tesseract was comforting her. She felt the magic within her settle. 

She could perform the Fidelius charm. 

She was going to stop Loki. 

Hermione resealed the briefcase, feeling rejuvenated. In order to keep a secret, she first needed to make one. Spotting a small, twisted and gnarled tree a few feet away, she carried the case over to it. She used her magic to gouge a hole into the dusty soil. The spell was still powerful, but this time she was in complete control. When the ditch was a couple of feet deep, she carefully let the briefcase drop to the bottom before covering it with the dirt. That was the easy part. 

She took a deep breath and mentally went through the magical theory of the Fidelius charm.  _ The Tesseract is buried next to a Joshua tree in the Mojave Desert, _ she told herself repeatedly. She started making the required intricate wand movements and felt a flurry of excitement as the expected series of glittering, golden lights floated in front of her. She continued her actions and, after a couple of minutes, she began to recite the complicated incantation for the first of seven times. As each repetition went by, her confidence rose a little more. 

A searing pain erupted near her right shoulder blade. She screamed and dropped her wand, breaking the spell before she’d had a chance to complete it. Glancing down, she nearly fainted at the sight of the black arrow tip piercing her flesh. 

Barton was near. 

Hermione tried to take a step forward to pick up her wand, but her body wasn’t obeying her wishes. She fell to her knees, her legs unable to support her weight anymore. A vehicle was approaching but she was beginning to black out. 

Panic flooded through her. Was she dying? 

The world twisted sideways as she fell to the floor. 

No, this couldn’t be the end. Not now! Not when they were all facing such a danger. 

She glanced over to the Joshua tree. There was a chance that the Tesseract wouldn’t be found but it was only a slim one…

She’d failed and she knew it. 

Hermione closed her eyes. She didn’t want Loki’s triumphant face to be the last thing she ever saw.

“You’re sure she’s not dead?” a familiar voice questioned. 

“The arrow was laced with a sedative, sir,” Agent Barton replied. “An arrow between the scapula and clavicle won’t kill you if you avoid the rib cage and the subclavian artery, which I did.” This was small relief to Hermione until she heard Barton’s next words. “Are you going to turn her now and make her reveal the location of the Tesseract?” 

“Not necessary,” Loki replied. “The soil around that tree has been disturbed. That’s where we’ll find it. Besides, I want to watch her eyes change when I speak to her heart.”

His words echoed menacingly in Hermione’s mind as her body finally gave in to the pull of the drug. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fingers crossed for another mid-week update.  
> Keep safe everyone!


	11. Chapter 11

The pain in her shoulder was the first thing that Hermione became aware of as she began to regain consciousness. It took her a moment to recall why it was so sore but when she did, her eyes opened wide. 

“Agent Granger is awake.”

She looked in the direction the voice had come from and saw Agent Barton watching her intently. 

“Where am I?” she asked groggily, slowly forcing herself into a sitting position. Her shoulder throbbed painfully and she gingerly pulled the neck of her shirt to the side to inspect the damage. However, the area was wrapped in bandages, so she couldn’t really see anything.

“I removed the arrow and patched you up,” Barton replied, ignoring her earlier question. 

Hermione was about to thank him but then she remembered that he was the one who shot her in the first place. “ _ Where am I _ ?” she repeated testily. 

“Your ire is unnecessary,” he answered stoically. “There is nothing you can do - we have the Tesseract and your weapon. Soon, you too will bask in the enlightenment the Tesseract will give you.”

She resisted the urge to make a barbed comment in reply and simply thanked her lucky stars that Barton seemed unaware that she could disapparate whenever she chose. It just had to be before Loki reared his ugly head and turned her into a mindless drone. Hermione only wished that Barton would give her a clue as to their whereabouts. If she chose an apparation destination that was too far away, then she ran the risk of splinching herself; that could prove fatal if she didn’t have a wand to patch herself up. 

“How long have I been out?” she asked instead, hoping that his answer would help her gauge the possible distance they had travelled. “If I’m going to be on your side, I don’t want to waste Loki’s time by asking him trivial questions.”

His icy eyes narrowed, and within three strides he had her against the wall by her throat. She scrabbled at his hand as he squeezed the life out of her. “Don’t play games with me, Granger,” he warned lowly. 

She rammed her toes into his groin in desperation and his grip on her throat slackened enough for her to draw a ragged breath. Ignoring the fire in her shoulder, she tried to aim a kick into his stomach but he caught her foot and twisted it. She used his hold to launch a roundkick to his head with her other leg, and heard a satisfying thump as her foot made contact. Her momentum brought them both to the floor as the door opened. 

“The children are fighting I see,” Loki said, sounding amused. 

Hermione scrambled away from both men, clutching her injured shoulder. It was definitely time to go. She hated the idea of leaving her wand in Loki’s clutches but she had others she could use back in DC. It also pained her to abandon the Tesseract but there really was nothing she could do to retrieve it. She had to be smart and live to fight another day with her mind as her own.

“I’ve heard much about you, Agent Granger,” Loki told her, calmly walking forwards, spear in hand. 

“Well, you obviously didn’t hear about this,” she replied and promptly disapparated. 

* * *

“Banner’s agreed to come in,” Coulson said by way of greeting when Fury answered his call. This wasn’t exactly the time for pleasantries. 

“Good,” he replied. “We need to get a trace on the Tesseract - whether Granger still has it or not.”

“Still no news from her?” 

Phil Coulson might well be the embodiment of a S.H.I.E.L.D agent, but Fury could detect the concern in his voice and he knew it wasn’t entirely about that pesky cube. “Not a word,” he answered. Fury could only fear the worst where Granger was concerned. He almost hoped that she was dead, just so that it meant she wouldn’t be turned against them like Barton and Selvig. If she was brainwashed into working for Loki, then it would be almost impossible to stop him, especially if she revealed that there were many more magic-users just like her back in the UK. 

“Stark’s not going to be pleased,” Coulson warned. 

“Well, it should serve as good motivation for him to be helpful for once,” he replied. Tony Stark’s happiness was not really high on his priorities. Granger knew the risks when she joined S.H.I.E.L.D, just like the rest of them. “Get over to Stark Tower as soon as you’ve got his report ready.”

“Yes, sir.” 

Fury hung up, his mood worsening. They needed a boost, just the smallest piece of good news to give them hope. It would be nice to bring  _ something _ positive about the last twenty-four hours to the World Security Council when they met shortly, but he knew better to count on dreams and wishes. 

His phone rang again and he answered it automatically.

“Sir?” a familiar voice said.

“Granger, is that you?” he asked, hardly daring to believe it. 

“Yes, sir. But Loki’s got the Tesseract. I’m sorry.” 

She certainly sounded it but a finger of suspicion crept up his spine. Could Loki have turned Granger and sent her back to act as a spy for him? He wouldn’t put it past him.

“What happened?” he questioned.

She launched into a brief explanation of events since leaving Selvig’s lab with the cube. It certainly sounded plausible – once you accepted that she was able to create such a powerful secret-keeping spell, anyway. 

“Where are you now?” 

“I apparated to Denver because of its relatively central location in North America and then I kept on moving until I got to the S.H.I.E.L.D safe-house in Chicago,” she answered. “It was the closest place I could think of to get in contact with you.”

“And how do I know that any of this is the truth and not what Loki has told you to say?” he asked coldly.

“Loki?” she repeated, sounding puzzled. “You, you think he’s turned me?”

“That was quite a lucky escape you had there,” he pointed out. “Almost as though it’s too good to be true.” 

Granger made an indignant noise. “I’ve lost the Tesseract, my wand, all of my other supplies and had an arrow through my shoulder. I would hardly call that ‘ _ too good to be true _ ’, sir,” she argued angrily. “Barton and Loki didn’t know I could disapparate without my wand. That’s not luck: that was good precaution on our part by not flashing my abilities around. Need I point out that we might have been more prepared for this situation had you seen fit to  _ tell _ me about project P.E.G.A.S.U.S in the first place!” she snapped. “Now, are you going to give me leave to come back or do you want to see the colour of my irises first?” 

“I’m sure that you could disguise the colour of your eyes given all your abilities,” he replied coolly, but she was winning him over.

“What do you want me to do to convince you?” she asked with a sigh of frustration.

“Barton knows too much about S.H.I.E.L.D. I need you to kill him,” Fury ordered, waiting in anticipation for her reply. 

There was a moment of shocked silence from the other end of the line. “ _ What?! _ Are you crazy? I’m not going to kill Agent Barton, Fury. He’s been brainwashed, he’s not consciously choosing to do these things. And even if he was, you and I both know that I’m not a murderer. So if that’s how I’m going to pass your little test, then count me as a failure!”

He nodded in relief. “Calm down, Granger - you passed.”

“Come again?” she asked, sounding perplexed. “But you said – “

“Loki’s spell severely screws up your moral compass,” he interrupted. “Barton tried to kill both me and Hill, too. If you  _ thought _ you needed to kill someone to keep your cover intact, the spell would have stopped your conscience from getting in the way.”

“Well, thank Merlin that’s settled before things got ugly,” she replied with a sigh. “I’ll go wherever you need me, sir. But I have to go to DC first, so that I can pick up a spare wand and some supplies.” 

“I can have a quinjet with you in twenty minutes,” he answered. “And then I want you in New York.”

“Yes, sir.” 

“Try not to get abducted until then,” Fury instructed with a hint of sarcasm.

“You’re funny, sir,” she responded dryly.

“I know. Now make some calls – there are quite a few people who’ll be relieved to know you’re alive and brainwash-free.”

* * *

Steve’s eyes widened when he saw Agent Granger standing outside the door to his apartment. He’d only seen her the previous day when they’d gone to the New York Public Library, but she seemed to have changed since then; he just couldn’t quite put his finger on how.

“ _ You’re _ the debriefing packet Fury was talking about?” he questioned. 

She smiled tightly and held up a thick wad of paper. “Not quite,” she replied. “But there are some things we thought it might be easier to explain in person.” 

Steve stared at the strange girl, finding it impossible to read her. She was only a slip of a thing, but he knew better than the majority of people, that it was what was on the inside that counts most. The trouble was, despite Fury’s obvious reliance on her, he wasn’t sure he  _ trusted _ what was on her inside after he surmised that she was lying to him. But things these days didn’t seem to be as clear cut as when everyone he worked with had been hellbent on stopping Schmidt and Hitler. He was working with an intelligence service now, not the military, and he had to remember that. These were a different set of people. 

“I see,” he replied. “I suppose you’d better come in.” 

He unlocked the door but she put her arm across the frame before he could push it open. He looked over at her in surprise. 

“You were right,” she told him solemnly, her eyes mournful. He knew at once what she was referring to – her denial of taking part in a war. The accusation of her being a liar had hung in the air between them as soon as he’d seen her outside his door. “I’m sorry.” 

Steve was shocked to see that her eyes were glistening. He’d had no idea that his words would cut her so deeply, and he considered the possibility that he’d severely misjudged the woman in front of him. “I’m sure you had your reasons,” he mumbled, feeling uncomfortable. He’d never knowingly made a girl cry before and he felt ashamed. Not to mention the fact that he’d been a complete hypocrite: he’d lied numerous times to try and enlist in the army. “Let’s forget it ever happened,” he suggested, watching in dismay as a tear trickled down her cheek.

Agent Granger cuffed the tear away and cleared her throat. “I would appreciate that,” she answered. “No one knows, apart from Fury…”

“Your secret’s safe with me, Agent Granger,” he assured her. A small part of him wondered if he was being manipulated. If she really was supposed to be keeping her participation in some sort of war a secret, then why would she admit that to  _ him _ ? All the movies he’d seen of spies when he was growing up had portrayed secret agents as somewhat cold and calculating – almost devoid of emotions. Why was Agent Granger crying about being called a liar? That wasn’t normal for a spy, was it? Or was she simply toying with his emotions to earn his trust. Steve honestly didn’t think he could find her any more confusing. 

She gave him a watery smile. “It’s  _ Hermione _ , remember?”

He nodded. “Hermione, right. Well, I hear the world needs saving.” He pushed the door open and gestured for her to enter. His reservations about her would have to be put to one side while they sorted out this ‘Loki’ guy. 

He offered to take her jacket, and he didn’t miss the way she winced and held a hand to her right shoulder as she took it off. 

“Are you all right?” he asked with a frown. 

“I’ll be fine,” she replied, which signalled to him that she  _ wasn’t _ fine at that moment, but he knew better than to pry. “Is there somewhere that we can sit? I think we’ll probably be here for quite some time.” 

Steve showed her to the couch and sat next to her, wondering what sort of information needed a personal explanation. He turned to her expectantly, watching as she took a deep breath. 

“This doesn’t get any easier, no matter how many times I do it,” she muttered, mostly to herself, her hands twisting in her laps. Why was she nervous? 

“Captain Rogers, there’s something you should know about me,” she began, looking at his coffee table rather than at him. “Director Fury and I hadn’t planned on informing you so quickly after our first meeting because we wanted you to have time to adapt to life in the twenty-first century and choose your own path in this time, but the arrival of Loki has changed everything.”

She said this all so quickly that his mind was having a hard time in keeping up. 

“If we’re to work together to stop him and retrieve the Tesseract, then there’s no point in hiding my true self from you,” she continued, finally looking at him. 

Steve blanched at her outburst. He had absolutely no idea where she was going with this. Perplexed, he watched as she withdrew something from inside the sleeve of her lilac shirt. It appeared to be a…stick? He resisted the strong urge to sit further away from her on the couch. 

“I know this is going to come as something of a surprise to you, Captain,” she warned gently. “But I’m a Sorceress. I can perform magic.” 

“Uhh.” That wasn’t a particularly intelligent response but he was having a very difficult time taking those words in. “When you say, ‘magic’…?” he questioned.

Hermione flicked her stick slightly and the small box that he used to change the channel on the television suddenly sprouted legs and started to dance across the coffee table. With another movement of the stick, a burst of light shot out of the end of it and impacted on his wall clock. The clock began to shrink until it was no bigger than his thumbnail. Its dramatic change in size made it fall from the wall but she seemed to stop its momentum with her stick and made the object float over to them. 

“Take it,” she urged when the clock floated above his knee. He reached out tentatively and brought it closer to his eyes for inspection. It certainly looked like the same timepiece, and he discovered that it still ticked when he held it to his ear. 

Steve looked back at her in amazement. Had he really thought that this woman couldn’t get any more confusing? “I don’t… This is,” he stuttered. “This is  _ unbelievable _ .” 

Hermione grimaced. “I hope you’ll forgive me for sounding arrogant, but what I’ve shown you is a bit like the tip of an iceberg.” 

Steve shook his head slightly. He was sitting next to a sorceress.  _ A sorceress! _ That was possibly the strangest thought he’d ever had. “What else can you do?” She bit the corner of her lip slightly and looked at him with impish eyes, making him realise he’d asked the wrong question. “OK, what  _ can’t _ you do?”

“Not a lot, as it happens,” she replied with a much more casual shrug than Steve thought appropriate for their discussion. “Unfortunately, one thing that I can’t do is locate the Tesseract or Loki. I don’t have a spell for that.”

He blinked, realising that the imminent danger the world was facing had completely slipped his mind. However, given that he’d just been informed of the existence of magic, it was probably understandable. “That’s a shame,” he answered. He knew that they should focus on Loki and the cube but he had far too many questions he was bursting to put to her. “Hermione, forgive me for asking, but where does your ability to do magic come from?” As soon as he said the word ‘asking’, he noticed her become tense. Her mood dampened and she withdrew her gaze from him again. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to – “

“No, it’s all right,” she said, speaking to her knee. “It’s perfectly natural that you have questions. I’d be stunned if you didn’t.” She paused and he held his breath, wondering what was troubling her. When she eventually looked up, he found himself transfixed by her solemn gaze. “Ask me no questions, Steve, and I’ll tell you no lies.” 

He sat, stunned, taken aback by her words and the gravity with which she’d said them. 

_ You’re lying.  _ The accusation he’d thrown at her in the library yesterday echoed in his mind. She’d admitted her deceit just minutes ago and informed him that no one apart from himself and Fury knew the truth. But how much else was she lying about and to whom? He was burning to ask her something,  _ anything _ . The way that she’d phrased it made it sound like her  _ whole life _ was a lie. But why was she allowing him to assume that? That was incredibly risky, even for an agent. How would he be able to trust her after this? 

_ No one’s ever lied to me. _ These words came back to him too and he realised what she was saying to him. Hermione might not be telling him her truths and her secrets, but she wasn’t going to deceive him either. And the fact that she was even admitting that there were so many lies in her life showed that she was taking a huge chance by putting her trust in him. From the way that she was trembling, Steve could tell how much that announcement had taken from her. “Thank you,” he said, trying to make his sincerity clear.

She swallowed thickly and nodded, her eyes slightly teary again. It disturbed him that his words had made such an impact on her, but he hoped that she would be happier not hiding behind lies – at least not with him. 

If she  _ was _ manipulating him like he’d considered earlier, then she was the best actress that he’d ever seen because he was utterly convinced by her. 

He pushed all those burning questions aside. Instead, he said, “Tell me about Loki.”

* * *

Hermione slowly stretched the muscles around her right shoulder, running through the various exercises the doctor was giving her. She was relieved to find that the combination of the medical lab and her magic had managed to remove any pain from the area, and the scans showed that they had limited the tissue damage inside. They would have been able to heal more of her shoulder (and probably rid her of the nasty scars) if she’d sought medical help sooner, but she had considered it more pressing to inform Captain Rogers about herself. It had been the early morning by the time they had left his apartment after going through all the relevant information on Loki, the Tesseract, Thor and the possible repercussions. Steve had headed off to meet the quinjet that would take him to S.H.I.E.L.D’s base, while Hermione had apparated straight to the helicarrier itself to meet with the medics. 

“Agent Granger, report to the flight deck,” a familiar voice spoke in her earpiece. “There’s someone here who wants to kick your ass for getting yourself kidnapped.” 

Hermione grinned. “Nice to hear from you too, Romanoff. I’ll be straight up.” She turned to the doctor, who gave her a disapproving frown. “It’s OK if I leave, isn’t it?” 

“I suppose so,” he muttered, peering at her over the rims of his glasses. “Normally, I’d recommend you take it easy for a few days but you’re hardly a  _ normal _ case, are you?”

“No, I guess not,” she agreed lightly, before thanking the doctor and bidding him farewell. She at least had the courtesy to exit the medical room via the door before apparating outside to the flight deck. The people around her were so busy working that they hardly gave her unexpected arrival a glance before moving on to their next job. 

Hermione soon spotted Natasha further along the deck, talking with one of the engineers, and made her way over there. When Natasha saw her, she excused herself from the engineer and walked towards Hermione with a frown on her face. 

“So, do you want me to kick your ass out here or would you rather go somewhere more private?” Natasha asked, the ocean air ruffling her short red locks.

Hermione shrugged, barely aware of any tightness remaining in her shoulder. “I don’t mind how many people see me take down the infamous Black Widow.”

Natasha allowed herself a half-smile. “I’ll let that slide just this once. Now, come on, let me see the damage.” 

Hermione tried to wave her away but Natasha rarely took no for an answer. Feeling oddly like a child who’d been caught with their hand in the biscuit barrel, Hermione pushed aside the collar of her t-shirt with a sigh. “Agent Barton shot me through the shoulder with a drug-tipped arrow,” she mumbled, as Natasha examined the entry and exit scars. “I’m lucky he’s such a good shot. Do you know him?” 

“We’ve met,” she replied casually, stepping back again. Natasha opened her mouth to say something else but loud music started emanating from somewhere inside her jacket. She fished out her cellphone, looking confused, but Hermione flushed when she recognised the song –  _ Spellbound _ by AC/DC. 

“I think that’s probably for me,” she admitted with a grimace. “Stark thinks he’s being funny using that as a ringtone for me.” 

Natasha wrinkled her nose and thrust the cell in Hermione’s direction. “He’s all yours,” she said before walking further down the flight deck.

Hermione answered the call and held the phone to her ear. “Do you really have to hack into people’s phones just so I hear Brian Johnson screeching at me?”

“First of all, s _ creeching? _ How dare you?” Tony asked, sounding highly offended. “Secondly, I wouldn’t have to hack into other people’s phones if you kept your one on you. That’s the world’s most advanced phone, Granger, and I only let you have it because of our business together. I can’t believe you’ve left it lying around somewhere for any old S.H.I.E.L.D schmuck to pick up.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t have time to search around for my belongings when I was trying to stop a psycho from the other side of space,” she replied coolly.

“Yeah, you did a really good job there, didn’t you?” Tony said, voice oozing sarcasm. “How’s the shoulder?”

Hermione pursed her lips. “Did you call just to annoy me?”

“No, I’m serious,” he replied, toning down the sarcasm. “How’s your shoulder? It can’t be too bad - you fixed yourself up fine last time you got shot.”

“Yes, well, I didn’t get impaled with an arrow last time.” 

“I’m sorry, did you just say you were shot with an  _ arrow _ ?” Tony asked after a moment of silence. 

“Did Coulson fail to mention that?” she responded breezily. “How careless of him.” 

“Speaking of, did you know his name’s  _ Phil?!”  _

Hermione rolled her eyes. “ _ No _ !” she gasped mockingly. “I thought his name was  _ ‘Agent’ _ !” 

“Did Pepper tell you I said that?” he said suspiciously.

“Tony, please tell me that the reason you called was to inform me that you’re on your way over here?” she asked, ignoring his question. “This is serious. We need you.”

“Could you repeat that last part? I didn’t quite hear you.”

“You heard me fine, Tony. Don’t be a jerk.”

“All right, kid, don’t sweat it. I’ll be there. I’ve just got to finish up reading my notes.” 

“Thanks,” she replied with a sigh of relief but then frowned. “So, why  _ did _ you call? You weren’t worried about me, were you?” 

“Don’t be absurd,” he denied. “I’ve been reading this stuff all night – even  _ my _ brain needs a break every now and then.”

“So instead of grabbing a cup of coffee or going for a refreshing stroll, you decided to call me? How sweet,” she teased. She knew he hated any reference to the fact that they were friends. “Thank you for your concern. My shoulder is as good as can be expected and I can’t wait for you, my dear friend, to arrive so that we can fight evil side by side!” She waited for his response but when she looked at the phone, she saw that he had hung up. She grinned. That was certainly one way to get rid of Tony Stark.

Sensing that someone was watching her, Hermione turned around warily. A dark-haired man that she was all too familiar with quickly looked away with an embarrassed expression. She found it strange to see Dr Bruce Banner on board S.H.I.E.L.D’s helicarrier after tracking him across Asia for the last few months. He was completely unaware of her observations of him, of course, and she planned to keep it that way. They certainly didn’t want to give him cause to become upset or angry.

She smiled and walked towards him. When he saw that she was coming, he looked even more embarrassed. 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Dr Banner,” she said, holding out her hand. “I’m Agent Hermione Granger.” 

He took her hand and shook it quickly. “Yeah, I know. I’m sorry for staring.” 

“That’s all right,” she replied easily. “I’m guessing you know more about me than just my name?” 

His eyes glanced over her and he nodded slightly. “Uh, yeah. A bit more. I’ve seen a couple of files and Agent Romanoff’s told me some pretty amazing things…” He fell silent for a moment, then suddenly jerked and held a hand to his head. “Oh my God, I’m staring again! I’m so sorry.”

Hermione laughed and held up her hands. “Honestly, it’s fine. I expect it’s the genius scientist in you, trying to figure me out – but before you slice me open, I have a strong no testing rule on myself. It drives Stark crazy.”

Banner chuckled, with a dark look in his eyes. “Sounds smart. I hear things like that can go very wrong.” 

Hermione winced slightly. What a stupid thing to say to him. “And now it’s my turn to apologize.” 

He waved it away. “Not necessary.”

A loud roar announced the arrival of a quinjet and they turned to watch it land. 

“You don’t ever have to be concerned for my safety when I’m with you,” she announced, almost hoping that what she said would be lost in the roar of the jet’s engines. She didn’t really want to talk about the Hulk, but she felt like she should offer him some reassurance. 

Banner glanced over at her sceptically. “You’re sure?” 

“Watch.” She disapparated to a few feet away and saw his eyes widen. “I can travel hundreds of miles in a second,” she said as she walked back over to him. “And I have plenty of other tricks up my sleeve too. That’s not a threat, by the way,” she added quickly. “I wouldn’t ever do anything to hurt you - I’m not that kind of an agent.” 

He nodded slowly as he stared at her again. “Thank you. That’s, uh, good to know.” 

“Dr Banner!” a voice called and they both turned. Steve and Natasha were coming towards them. 

Hermione felt her stomach flutter uneasily at the sight of him. Had she been foolish in admitting to him that her S.H.I.E.L.D cover story was a lie? She hadn’t told him that in as many words but he was clever enough to figure out the meaning behind what she  _ had _ said. 

It was almost exactly a year since she had first met Fury in that empty warehouse in Brooklyn and she had lost count of the number of lies she’d told after that day. Her story was such a ludicrous one that she’d gotten away with them all, except the first time she’d tried to flat-out lie to Steve. 

When Fury had sent her to reveal her true abilities to him last night, she hadn’t mentioned to him that Steve had caught her in a lie before. She hadn’t really seen the point. In order for them to get the Tesseract back, she and Steve had to be able to work together and the only way she could see that happening was if she didn’t even try to deceive. But, more than that, she didn’t  _ want _ to lie. 

She wasn’t about to spill all her secrets to him, of course (there was far too much at stake for those in the wizarding world for that) Nor did she owe him or anyone else the truth - it was her own life after all. But a small weight that she’d been carrying with her ever since Brooklyn had been lightened, knowing that there was someone in her life that she wasn’t playing false. 

She just hoped that she could trust him…

Banner shook Steve’s hand. “Oh, yeah, hi. They told me you would be coming in.”

“Word is you can find the cube,” Steve said brightly.

“Is that the only word on me?” Banner asked.

“Only word I care about,” he replied. 

Steve glanced over at Hermione and did a double take. “But I thought you were still on land?” 

“Nope, I came straight here. I can travel a bit faster than you and I had a doctor’s appointment to make.” Her uneasiness settled slightly at the normal way he was interacting with her. 

He frowned. “Oh. Why didn’t you bring me here with you, then?” 

“I thought it might be a bit too much, too soon for you,” she replied with a shrug. “Besides, I couldn’t deny Coulson the chance to have some time with you – he’d never have forgiven me. Next time I need to zip across the country I’ll take you with me, if you want?” 

“Sounds like a date,” Natasha said with a twitch of her lips, making Hermione blush. 

Banner looked between Steve and Hermione and then smiled. “You know, it makes such a nice change to not be the default winner of ‘The Strangest Person on Earth’ award.”

“Do you get a trophy with that title?” Steve asked with a grin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A close escape for Hermione with Loki there but fear not - their paths will cross again. 
> 
> Keep safe!
> 
> Lil Drop of Magic


	12. Chapter 12

“Will you stop staring at Rogers,” Natasha whispered to Granger as the helicarrier deployed its retro-reflection panels. “Anyone would think you have a bigger crush on him than Coulson does.” 

The younger woman’s eyes widened and her cheeks flushed red. “I do  _ not _ fancy Steve,” she whispered back, looking mortified and Natasha smirked. 

“Whatever you say, Granger,” she replied with a shrug. “Even I’ve gotta admit he looks good for a ninety-five year old.” It wasn’t necessarily an appropriate conversation to be having at that moment but it served as a nice distraction from Clint’s abduction. A newly familiar feeling of unease swept through Natasha but she pushed it aside. They were doing all they could to find Loki; she just had to hope there was a way to remove his influence from Clint when they caught up with him.

“Gentlemen,” the Director greeted Banner and Rogers. 

Rogers took out his wallet and pulled out two $10 bills, still looking around the bridge in wonder. Fury raised an eyebrow. “What’s the other one for?” Rogers glanced in Granger’s direction and Fury nodded with a small smile. “Why did I even ask?” 

Natasha walked forwards and squatted down next to one of the computer screens as Coulson explained what they were doing. She tried not to let her eyes linger on the photo of Clint that was displayed. 

“That’s still not going to find them in time,” she said, referring to their sweeping of every wirelessly accessible camera on the planet. 

“You have to narrow your field,” Banner said. “How many spectrometers do you have access to?”

“How many are there?” Fury asked.

“Call every lab you know,” Banner instructed, taking off his jacket. “Tell them to put the spectrometers on the roof and calibrate them for gamma rays.” He looked over at Granger. “Agent Granger, I believe I read in the report that you were hit with a burst of energy from the Tesseract.”

Granger nodded, looking cautious. “That’s correct.”

“Do you mind if I scan you for residual radiation? It’ll help me rough out a tracking algorithm, basic cluster recognition. At least we’ll be able to rule out a few places.”

Natasha could see that Granger wasn’t entirely comfortable with this suggestion but she nodded anyway. “That’s fine. Anything I can do to help.”

Fury nodded, looking pleased that they were finally making a start. “Show to him the lab, Agent Granger.” 

“Yes, sir,” she replied. 

Natasha heard Banner apologize to Granger as they walked out the room but the rest of what he said was lost as the doors closed behind them.

Time passed very slowly when you were waiting. No doubt Clint had warned Loki how to avoid detection from cameras so they were simply waiting for him to make a mistake – if he even made one. 

Natasha went to one of the training rooms to put herself through her paces but she kept everything she needed close by in case they got the order to move out. She was joined not long afterwards by Captain Rogers. 

“Want to go a few rounds, Cap?” she asked, pausing her assault on the punch bag. “I know it must have been a while but I promise I won’t go easy on you.” He looked unsure and she had a feeling she knew why. “You ever fought a woman before?” 

“I don’t think there was a lot of it around in the forties,” he admitted.

“Well, there’s a first time for everything,” she said, wiping the back of her hand across her sweaty forehead. “And believe me, you’re in for a much more competitive bout going against me than Granger,” but then she frowned. “Or maybe you wouldn’t - you might actually stand a chance against her with your super-soldier body. She finished with Banner yet?”

Rogers shook his head. “I haven’t seen her.”

“Pity,” she shrugged. “It would’ve been interesting to watch. You’d probably break Barton’s all-comers record against her. Well, if you ignore the other night when he shot her when her back was turned.” 

Rogers looked like he wanted to ask her something but he shook his head. “She almost makes me feel like an ordinary person.” 

“And how do you think the rest of us feel?” Natasha asked with a raised eyebrow. “Now, come on. Show me how men in their nineties fight.” 

* * *

“We got a hit,” one of the S.H.I.E.L.D agents announced, drawing everyone’s attention. Steve looked over hopefully. They’d been sweeping the cameras for hours without any luck yet. “It’s a sixty-nine percent match. Wait. Cross match, eighty-four percent.” 

“Location?” Coulson asked, walking forwards to get a closer look at the screen. 

“Stuttgart, Germany,” the agent replied. “Twenty-eight Koningstrasse. He’s not exactly hiding.” The computer screens showed an image of an elegantly dressed Loki walking briskly into a grand, white building with other formally attired people.

“Captain,” Fury called and Steve turned obediently. “You’re up.” 

He saw Granger stir next to him. “Sir, you’re letting me go too, aren’t you?” 

Fury surveyed her for a moment. “Are you ready to face him again?” 

She bristled angrily. “Of course I am. I know the dangers more than anyone. He’s not getting anywhere near me again. You know I can have myself and Captain Rogers at the scene in less than five minutes. The quinjets are quick but they’re not  _ that _ quick. We can take care of Loki before he carries out whatever scheme he’s got planned.” 

“All right,” Fury allowed. “But Romanoff will be right behind you in the quinjet. Keep Loki contained until then.” 

“Yes, sir,” she replied and after a glance at him they both headed swiftly for the door. “Are you still sure you want to travel my way?”

“If it gets us to Loki quicker, then I’ll do whatever you want,” he responded. “Just give me a minute to suit up and then we can go.” 

She nodded in agreement and they went their separate ways to change. When he caught sight of his new uniform, he took a moment to prepare himself for this next mission: he was fighting a Nordic God with a Sorceress as his partner… Was he really awake? 

Hermione was waiting for him when he emerged. If he’d had more time to think about it, he probably would’ve been self-conscious in his stars and stripes compared to her simple black S.H.I.E.L.D-issue clothes. She held out an alarm clock to him.

“Hold onto this and don’t let go until I say so,” she instructed. “We’re going to travel to the west coast of Portugal first and then I’ll get us to Stuttgart. A direct journey is a bit further than I’m comfortable with.” Steve held onto the clock, only feeling slightly silly for doing so. “If this was anyone else, I’d warn about dizziness and motion sickness, but I’ve read that you’ve got a strong metabolism so you should be fine. Remember, don’t let go.” 

Hermione tapped the clock with her wand. Suddenly, he felt an incredibly strong force pulling him forwards. The world around him blurred into a swirl of darkness and he could only make out Hermione’s pale features as he awaited her instructions. 

“Get ready!” she yelled over the howling wind that buffeted them. “Now!” 

Steve wrenched his hand away from the clock and only just managed to keep his feet on solid ground despite his greater than average agility. 

He tried to peer around at their surroundings but it was pretty dark. He thought he could hear the sound of waves crashing in the distance though. Hermione took out an electronic gadget and was noticeably pleased at what it showed. 

“Good, we’re on the outskirts of Lisbon,” she said. “We’re going to travel slightly differently to Stuttgart but it’s just as quick. I’ll land us in an alley just next to the building Loki entered. We can talk tactics when we see what he’s up to.”

Steve didn’t have time to make an objection even if he’d wanted to because Hermione grabbed his hand and, an instant later, he felt like he was being pushed through a very small tube. He blinked his eyes and saw that he was indeed standing in an alleyway. Screams and yells could be heard from nearby and, without hesitating, he and Hermione started sprinting in that direction. Perhaps they were too late? 

Scores of people were running out of the grand building that Steve had seen Loki entering. A glowing golden figure emerged, walking serenely along the red carpet. Steve and Hermione instantly ducked behind a car for cover. 

“What should we do?” she whispered, eyes wide. “Do we take him out now?”

A police car arrived but, with a blast from Loki’s spear, it flipped onto its roof and ground to a halt. Another set of screams made them turn into the crowded square, where imitations of Loki stopped the people escaping.

“There are too many civilians,” Steve replied. “Loki could turn it into a massacre in an instance. We wait and see what he wants.”

“ _ KNEEL! _ ” Loki yelled, his voice echoing around the square. The stunned people of Stuttgart obeyed his demand, slowly sinking to the ground. 

Loki raised his arms and smiled. “Is not this simpler?” he asked the crowd. He started walking through them, giving every impression of a slave master. “Is this not your natural state? It’s the unspoken truth of humanity that you crave subjugation.”

“This doesn’t make sense,” Hermione whispered to Steve quickly. “Why is he doing this? He must know that we’ll be coming for him. Why here? Why now?” 

“The bright lure of freedom diminishes your life’s joy in a mad scramble for power, for identity,” Loki continued.

She was right. Loki wasn’t stupid. Why would he come here alone just to spiel off to a hundred people? There must be something else going on that he and Hermione weren’t aware of.

“You were made to be ruled,” Loki announced. “In the end, you will always kneel.”

A lone figure rose from the crowd. “Not to men like you,” the small, elderly man said. 

Steve and Hermione shared a look. This was about to turn sour. 

“There are no men like me,” Loki claimed confidently, as though the man was stupid.

“I’ll protect the man. You get the rest of the crowd away safely and then we’ll take care of Loki together,” Steve ordered rapidly.

“There are  _ always _ men like you,” the man replied bravely.

“Look to your elder, people,” Loki said calmly, raising his spear. The blue light at its tip began to glow more brightly. Steve stood and started running towards the old man, preparing to leap. “Let him be an example.” 

A flash of blue energy shot out of the end of Loki’s spear but Steve landed in front of its intended target, his vibranium shield reflecting the energy back at Loki. The force of the light knocked Loki to the ground and his duplicates around the square disappeared. Steve could see people turning their heads and starting to filter away, so he assumed that Hermione was passing the message around. 

“You know, the last time I was in Germany,” Steve said loudly, trying to keep Loki’s attention away from Hermione. “And saw a man standing above everybody else, we ended up disagreeing.” 

“The  _ soldier _ ,” Loki said then chuckled, getting to his feet. “The man out of time.” 

“I’m not the one who’s out of time,” Steve replied confidently, hoping that Hermione was ready. 

The crowd gasped and those closest to Loki stumbled backwards as thick, silver chains wrapped themselves tightly around his torso and upper body. A malevolent glint flashed in Loki’s eyes despite the constrictions on his chest. “And the Sorceress too! I was hoping she’d be stupid enough to come near me again.” He twisted his head around as much as he could given the restrictions on his body, searching for Hermione. “Though I see she lacks the bravery to come out of the shadows. No matter, I like a good chase.” Another surge of energy burst from the spear but Loki directed its impact onto his chains. The metal links burst, and the remaining crowd scattered with more yells and screams. 

Steve hurled his shield at Loki’s chest to distract him and caught it on the rebound, before punching Loki hard on the jaw, forcing his head to one side. The Asgardian looked offended that Steve would dare strike him and he countered by trying to break Steve’s skull with one end of his spear, followed by the other. 

“Don’t let him turn you!” Hermione cried desperately in his earpiece as he fought off Loki’s blows.

Loki thrust the bottom of his spear into Steve’s chest, propelling him backwards. 

A red light flashed across the square, hitting Loki in the shoulder. Loki staggered slightly and was unable to stop a white light impacting on his hand, forcing him to drop the spear. Steve flung his shield at Loki again as the spear shot across the square, no doubt under the influence of one of Hermione’s spells. He leapt towards Loki, intending to keep the man busy while she hopefully magicked the deadly weapon away, but instead of landing on Loki’s back, Steve met solid ground. Loki had vanished. 

Hearing a gasp, Steve looked around and spotted Loki a few feet away, half in the shadows, spear back in hand. “Found you,” he snarled, scything his weapon through the air at what looked like empty space. Steve could only assume that Hermione had somehow made herself invisible. 

A sustained beam of white light forced Loki backwards but he shot blue energy at her from his spear, forcing her to cease. The spear’s energy rebounded off of an unseen barrier, creating a black scorch mark on the ground. Steve sprinted over to Loki and aimed to whack him across the head with his shield. Loki leaned out of its path and jabbed at Steve with his spear, successfully making contact with a swipe across his back, forcing Steve to the ground. He rolled away to prevent Loki from ramming the spear into his skull. 

In his mind, it felt like he had confronted Schimdt’s forces only a couple of weeks ago, but he was obviously rustier than he thought because he was making more mistakes than he normally would. 

Steve managed to get himself into a crouching position and poised himself to launch another attack. Suddenly, Loki’s legs snapped together, his arms jumped to his sides and a strange whiteness appeared on his body, almost like he’d been instantly frozen. Loki fell backwards, completely rigid, and lay motionless on the floor as his spear clattered to the ground. 

“Don’t get too close,” Hermione’s voice warned in Steve’s ear as he got to his feet. “My magic isn’t as effective on Loki. I don’t know how long it’ll last or if it’s even worked properly.” 

Steve set his shield comfortably on his arm again and walked forward cautiously. “I’m ready.” 

“All right. I’m going to use another spell to call his spear over to me,” she said and carried out the magic a moment later. When the spear came to a rest in mid-air a few feet away, he realised that he could just about determine her outline, but it was bizarre because it looked almost like she’d covered herself with camouflage paint to blend in perfectly with the background. Trying to completely distinguish her from the rest of the square was making his eyes feel strained so he returned his gaze to Loki. Thankfully, the Asgardian was still imitating a statue.

“Can he see and hear us?” he asked curiously. 

“Yes,” she replied. “He’s fully conscious but I’ve half a mind to combat that. I wouldn’t normally cast another spell when one is already in effect but, like I said, I don’t know how my magic reacts to Loki.” 

“You must do what you think best,” he said, because he really couldn’t offer her any advice where magic was concerned. There was a moment’s pause and then a scarlet burst of light hit Loki in the chest. He remained rigid but his eyes were now closed. Steve relaxed slightly. 

He glanced over at Hermione’s general direction and was relieved to see that she was becoming visible again. “Loki has been apprehended, sir,” she said.

“Good work,” Fury’s voice answered to both of them. “Romanoff is about ten minutes away. Bring Loki back in the quinjet. You’ve done enough magical globe-hopping for now, Granger. We can’t risk this going wrong.” 

“Yes, sir, I understand,” Hermione replied. “I shall contain Loki’s weapon while we wait and perform a spell to keep people away. Just let me know when Agent Romanoff is close so I can lift it.” 

“Understood.” 

“Sir, the only strategic reason for Loki to be here on his own would be to create a diversion,” Steve pointed out. “Have there been any altercations around the globe that could have been carried out by Agent Barton or another accomplice? There may well be a link to this event in Stuttgart. I expect that Loki had his reasons for this location.” 

“We’re analysing footage from the museum gala that Loki gate-crashed,” Fury replied. “We’ve got at least one casualty. Loki seemed to take particular interest in the man’s eye. We’ve contacted the German authorities and they’re on their way to both the man’s home and workplace to investigate possible security breaches.” 

“Who was he?” Steve asked. Despite his short time in this century, he was already aware that many high-security facilities used retina scans to identify possible entrants. 

“Dr Heinrich Schafer, a world-renowned scientist.” 

He and Hermione exchanged worried glances at this news. Whatever reason Loki had for hacking into a scientist’s security system it couldn’t be a good one. 

“Sir, would it not be more prudent for me to journey to these places?” Hermione suggested. “I may be of assistance.” 

“Your priority is bringing in Loki,” Fury replied bluntly. 

“Yes, sir, understood,” she answered, though Steve could see she was frustrated by Fury’s decision. Hermione glanced over at him. “You’d better come here. If you’re not next to me when I cast the repelling charm then it will probably keep you away too.”

Steve followed her suggestion and moved closer. “It can’t discern between different people?” 

“Not exactly. If you were magical it wouldn’t have any effect on you,” she explained, “but everyone else who comes near will suddenly remember an urgent job they have to do and turn around.” 

She handed Loki’s spear to him then watched as Hermione pointed her wand into the air, while her small hand kept a firm grip on his arm. Gentle bursts of silver vapour streamed into the night sky and spread out before dissipating into the air. After a minute, she seemed satisfied and brought her wand back to her side.

“Could you watch him while I take care of this?” she asked, taking the spear back. He nodded his assent but still kept half an eye on Hermione as she placed the spear inside a metal box that she’d removed from her pocket and used her magic to make it grow to an appropriate size. She tapped the box a couple of times, presumably to lock it, then shrank the container again and returned it to her pocket. The whole process took less than thirty seconds. He refocused all his attention on Loki before she got a chance to notice him looking. 

A loud roar, like that of an engine, made them both glance up. A yellow light arced through the sky, moving swiftly towards them. As it got closer, Steve recognised the Iron Man suit belonging to Tony Stark. It got about forty feet from them before dramatically altering its direction and flying away again. They watched its path as it flew over the buildings but, once again, Stark seemed to change his mind and journeyed towards them. 

“Perhaps I should cancel the repelling spell,” she suggested wryly, “otherwise Tony might end up getting a little dizzy.” 

“That’s probably a good idea,” he replied, watching Stark get warded from them for a second time. 

Silver sparks shot from the end of her wand and the invisible barrier bloomed into vision before shattering into snowflake-like wisps of light. The ground shook slightly as Stark finally landed in the square, cracking the bricks in the floor. Up close, Steve could see just what an incredible piece of mechanical engineering the Iron Man suit was. It really was like father, like son, where the Starks were concerned. 

“Mind telling me what the hell that was?” Stark asked Hermione, his voice understandably irritated. 

“Security measure,” she replied simply. “It keeps unwanted people away.”

There was a sudden movement at Steve’s feet and he realised in alarm that Loki was conscious and making a bid for freedom. A blast from the palms of the Iron Man suit launched Loki across the square and he landed against the ground with a thud, before groaning and rolling over. 

All three walked forwards, ready to strike. 

“Make your move, Reindeer Games,” Stark said, an impressive number of weapons powering up from his suit. 

Loki stared at them. His body began to glow and Steve tightened his grip on his shield, but it was merely due to Loki’s change to a rather less ostentatious choice of clothing. The Asgardian held up his hands. 

“Good move,” Stark responded, his weapons powering down. Hermione and Steve kept a more careful eye on Loki, knowing how slippery he could be. 

“We’re closing in on your location,” Agent Romanoff’s voice spoke in their ears. “Is the area secure?” 

“Everything’s clear to proceed,” Hermione replied. “And Tony’s here.” 

Steve heard an irritated sigh in reply. “Oh, joy,” Romanoff muttered.

“I heard that!” Stark called. 

Loki continued to silently stare at them. 

A few minutes later they were all aboard the quinjet, heading back to base. Steve soon realised he’d been wrong about Loki staring at them, because it was quite clear that the Asgardian only had eyes for Hermione. If this was bothering her, she didn’t let it show, but it made Steve feel uneasy and he could tell by the way that Stark was frowning that he didn’t like it either. 

“Is he saying anything?” Fury asked, once Agent Romanoff had updated him. 

Steve saw Romanoff glance over her shoulder, and her eyes darted between Loki and Hermione, who was reading an electronic book on the opposite row of seats. “Not a word,” she replied. “But he can’t keep his eyes off Granger,” she added quietly. 

“Just get him here,” Fury responded. “We’re low on time.”

Steve moved slightly closer to Stark, who was standing next to him. “I don’t like it.”

“What, Rock of Ages giving up so easily?” he replied smoothly. “Or how he looks like he wants to eat Granger?” 

Steve frowned. He wasn’t happy about the latter but he had been referring to the former. “I don’t remember it being that easy. This guy packs a wallop. I’m lucky she was there.” 

“Still, you are pretty  _ spry _ for an older fellow,” Stark said with a hint of mockery, turning to him. “What’s your thing - pilates?”

“What?”

“It’s like calisthenics,” Stark explained. “You might have missed a couple of things, you know, doing time as a Capsicle.” 

“ _ Tony, _ ” Hermione said warningly from where she sat.

Steve could feel himself getting agitated at the condescending way Stark talked. “Fury didn’t tell me he was calling you in.”

“Yeah, there’s a lot of things Fury doesn’t tell you,” Stark replied easily. A rumble of thunder followed his words and, as he looked out the cockpit of the jet, Steve could see lightning forking through the sky.

“Where’s this coming from?” Romanoff said, as more thunder and lightning lit up the night. The quinjet shook lightly and Steve noticed a somewhat anxious expression on Loki’s face as he finally took his eyes off Hermione and glanced around.

“What’s the matter?” Steve called. “Are you scared of a little lightning?”

“I’m not  _ overly _ fond of what follows,” Loki replied, with another worried look at the ceiling. The storm appeared to have rattled Hermione, too, for she tucked her reading device away and stood with her wand ready. 

Something impacted the roof of the jet, making it shudder, but thankfully it stayed airborne. Steve reached for his helmet and shield, but saw that Stark had donned his mask and opened the door at the rear of the jet. 

“What are you doing?” Steve yelled as Stark walked towards the opening. 

Hermione reached out as though to stop Stark but he brushed her hand off. She moved closer to Loki and stood protectively in front of him.

A large, muscular blond man landed on the ramp, a huge, metallic hammer in his grasp. The man walked forwards and Stark held his arm up, the energy building in his palm to strike the newcomer down. However, with a thrust of the hammer, Stark was forced backwards off his feet, colliding with Steve and sending them both sprawling to the floor. 

A moment later, a roar of anger met Steve’s ears as he struggled to disentangle himself from Stark. Suddenly, he was lifted off of the ground by the strange man, Stark dangling next to him. “What sorcery is this? Where has she taken him?” the man bellowed. Looking past him, Steve could see what he was so upset about: Hermione had used her magic to remove both herself and Loki from the quinjet. 

“Sorry, I don’t feel like sharing,” Stark replied, then blasted the blond man across the jet, causing Steve to be thrown to the floor again. 

The aircraft listed dangerously. “If you’re going to do this, take it outside before you rip the plane in half!” Natasha yelled, flipping switches and pressing buttons. 

Stark actually seemed to heed someone's advice for once because he launched himself into the night sky, the stranger following close behind.

Steve grabbed one of the parachutes lying nearby and started to unpack it. 

“If that’s another Asgardian, I’d sit this one out, Cap,” Agent Romanoff called. 

“I don’t see how I can,” he replied, pulling the straps of the chute into place across his chest. Hermione would be able to take care of Loki, he knew that. But this new Asgardian packed a much bigger punch and seemed determined to find Loki. He couldn’t let Stark face that on his own.

“These guys come from legend,” Romanoff told him. “They’re basically gods.”

“There’s only one God, ma’am,” he retorted. “And I’m pretty sure he doesn’t dress like that.” He picked up his shield and walked calmly towards the back of the aircraft. Without a second’s hesitation, he dived into the air and began plummeting to the ground below.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you that care about this sort of thing, Loki arrived at the museum a lot later in this version of the story because he'd be aware how quickly Hermione could get there and try to stop his 'eyeball' plan. Also, the quinjets are fairly frustrating because sometimes they seem impossibly fast and then much slower on other occasions. 
> 
> Anyway, hope you're all keeping safe.
> 
> Lil Drop of Magic


	13. Chapter 13

“Your pursuer is gaining, sir,” J.A.R.V.I.S told Tony and provided a small diagram to support his words. “At his current speed, he will make contact in five seconds.” 

Tony swerved suddenly, employing a bizarre flight pattern to try and shake Thor off. Yes,  _ Thor _ . He was being chased by the ‘god of thunder’ himself. Unfortunately, true to J.A.R.V.I.S’s words, a moment later he felt the Asgardian impact against him, trying to force Tony to the ground that was hundreds of feet below. Tony was only too happy to let Thor take them on this course, but a few feet from the rocky surface he used a surge of energy from his suit to flip them over so that his opponent was dragged through the ground, leaving a deep scar in the earth and dislodging trees. Tony burst away from Thor’s hold and righted himself, watching as the Asgardian eventually ground to a halt. 

Tony held his palm up, ready to fire if Thor attacked again. Slowly, the blond man got to his feet, a scowl deeply set in his features. “You have no idea what you’re dealing with,” Thor claimed gravely.

Tony retracted his mask and looked unconcernedly around the forest they hand landed in. “Er… Shakespeare in the Park?” he mocked, before adopting his best British accent. “Doth Mother know you wear-eth her drapes?”

“This is beyond you, metal man,” Thor warned, not rising to Tony’s ridicule. “Your sorceress must release Loki so that he can face Asgardian justice.” 

“He gives up the cube, he’s all yours,” Tony answered. “Until then,” his face armour slid back into place, “stay out of the way.” He turned to leave but couldn’t resist one last barb. “Tourist.” 

A grunt from Thor made Tony turn just in time to see the hammer that was hurtling towards him, but it didn’t give him enough time to do anything to stop it. The severity of the blow forced him backwards, clean through one of the trees. He used J.A.R.V.I.S to inspect the damage to his suit. “Okay,” he muttered. If Thor wanted a fight, then Tony would damn well give him one. 

When he managed to get to his feet, Tony could see that Thor was already swinging that infernal hammer again. A surge of energy from Tony’s chest knocked Thor backwards and Tony flew forwards to forcefully kick the Asgardian back a few yards.

“Sir, Miss Granger is on the line,” J.A.R.V.I.S said. Thor raised his hammer to the sky, lightning crackling all around it.

“I’m a bit busy right now,” Tony growled as Thor directed the lightning into his suit, the force of it making him take a step back and his suit to sizzle. 

“I’ve closed the line,” J.A.R.V.I.S. responded. “Power at four-hundred percent capacity.”

“How about that,” Tony muttered and then shot the energy straight back at his opponent. It hit Thor square in the chest but he flipped backwards with the force of the energy to land squarely on his feet. The two men stared at each other for a split second then launched into the air on a collision course. Tony used a surge of power to take control of their joint flight, directing them up beyond the treetops. 

“Miss Granger is on the line again,” J.A.R.V.I.S told him as Thor wrenched himself free of Tony’s strong hold via a punch to the head. Tony managed to grab onto the Asgardian’s arm as they flew back to the ground again.

“ _ Not now! _ ” Tony replied, the pair of them splintering another couple of trees as they crashed down to the earth.

Annoying as it was, Tony marvelled at the strength Thor possessed. He probably would’ve crushed Tony’s arm with his bare hand if he wasn’t able to distract him with a blast from his palm. But nothing Tony did seemed to have any impact at all – apparently even his skull was immune, seeing as he could happily head-butt Tony backwards a few yards. 

Tony braced himself to resume their struggle. 

“ _ I’m a Barbie girl, in the Barbie world.” _

Tony looked around in confusion. Where the hell was that god-awful song coming from?

“ _ Life in plastic, it’s fantastic!” _

“Sir, Miss Granger has overridden my system,” J.A.R.V.I.S. said and it was only then that Tony realised the music was coming from his suit.

_ “You can brush my hair, undress me everywhere.”  _

Thor was watching warily, still primed for attack. 

“ _ Imagination, life is your creation. _ ” 

“Answer her damn call,” Tony instructed J.A.R.V.I.S angrily. Thankfully the music stopped at once. “How the hell did you do that?” he asked, getting the most important question out of the way first, of course. 

“My phone has finally been returned to me and I’m back at S.H.I.E.L.D’s base,” Granger replied simply, unperturbed by his annoyance. “A number of people were only too happy to help. Thor Odinson,” Granger called calmly. “I must apologise for my swift exit from your company a few minutes ago.” 

Thor’s eyes widened as he realised who was speaking to him, and he raised his hand to summon his hammer. “You are the sorceress who absconded with my brother! I demand that you release him to me.” 

“I’m afraid that’s not possible,” Granger replied. Tony shifted impatiently. Life was boring when you were nothing but a glorified speaker. “Loki has placed Earth in danger. I know in the past you’ve worked with us to stop him. Jane Foster speaks incredibly highly of you.” 

Thor’s face softened and the arm holding the hammer lowered slightly. “You have spoken to Jane?” 

“Yes, I was lucky enough to talk with her about the Nine Realms you told us of,” Granger answered. 

Tony sighed nosily. “Get to the point, Granger. I am milliseconds away from hanging up on you.”

Thor pointed his hammer at Tony. “You are short of manners.” 

Tony shrugged. “But I’m  _ not _ the one wearing a curtain.” 

Thor let out a bark of laughter. “You attempt to use words to wound because you know you cannot defeat me.” 

Tony sent out a burst of energy from his hand and flew forwards to punch Thor across the head. “ _ Tony! _ ” Granger screeched in his ear, but he told J.A.R.V.I.S to cut her off. Thor raised his hammer ready to strike Tony down. 

Something whipped across their vision, rattling them on their bodies.

“Hey!” a new voice called. Tony turned to look at Captain Rogers. He couldn’t decide whether he was pleased or irritated to see him. “That’s enough!” Rogers jumped down from the dislodged tree he’d been standing on and turned to Thor. “Now, I don’t know what you plan on doing here – ”

“I’ve come here to put an end to Loki’s schemes!” Thor answered passionately. Tony could tell that the Asgardian was getting frustrated.

“Then prove it,” Rogers replied calmly. “Put that hammer down.”

“Ah, yeah, no. Bad call,” Tony pointed out quickly. “He loves that ham – ” He was prevented from completing his sentence because Thor slammed the hammer into his chest, forcing him to fly several yards backwards.

“You want me to put the hammer down?” Thor asked threateningly. From his position huddled on the floor, Tony watched Thor leap into the air, hammer raised, as Rogers crouched behind his shield. The energy wave produced from the clash of weapons was enough to flatten everything in the immediate area. 

Tony struggled to his feet alongside Thor and Rogers.

“Are we done here?” Rogers asked, panting slightly. 

“ _ Come on Barbie, let’s go party _ !” 

With a scowl, Tony quickly answered Granger’s call. He was going to have to do something about that ringtone as soon as he got back on the quinjet. “Tell Romanoff to pick us up,” he instructed wearily. “We’re done.” 

* * *

Even though Hermione had handed over custody of Loki as soon as they had successfully arrived at the helicarrier via a portkey, she could still feel his pale gaze boring into her. She knew she wouldn’t be feeling the effect quite so much if it wasn’t for her suspicion that they were doing exactly as Loki wished. 

He was currently being escorted down to the holding cell while Hermione herself had just relayed Tony’s message to Natasha that they were done with the petty squabbling (Hermione’s choice of words, not his). 

“That was some pretty quick retrieval work,” a voice called over her shoulder and she turned to see that Bruce had come onto the bridge. “I take it everything went as planned?”

Hermione wrinkled her nose slightly. “Not quite. We had an unexpected encounter with Loki’s brother, but I have been reassured that Tony and Steve have convinced him to cooperate. They’re on their way back now.” 

“Loki’s brother?” Banner repeated questioningly.

“Thor.” 

His lips pulled into a half smile. “Yes, of course. How could I forget?” 

Selected monitors around the bridge showed Loki entering into the cell. Hermione and Bruce moved closer to the table and watched the encounter between Loki and Fury closely.

“In case it’s unclear,” The Director’s voice called, “if you try to escape, if you so much as scratch that glass...” Fury opened the hole that was concealed under the cell and Hermione watched as Loki peered down into it. “It’s thirty-thousand feet straight down in a steel trap. You get how that works?” He closed the door then pointed at Loki. “Ant.” He indicated the control panel. “Boot.”

Loki laughed. “It’s an impressive cage,” he admitted, holding out his arms. “Not built, I think, for me.”

“Built for something a lot stronger than you,” Fury replied. 

“Oh, I’ve heard,” Loki said with a hint of amusement and he turned to look directly into the camera. “A mindless beast.” Hermione glanced at Bruce and couldn’t stop herself from placing a comforting hand on his arm. “Makes play he’s still a man.” Bruce looked back at her with a calm expression and she saw that Loki’s words had had little impact on him. There was even a trace of amusement in his eyes and she marvelled that he could be so composed at Loki’s mockery. “How  _ desperate _ are you,” Loki continued, “that you call on such lost creatures to defend you?”

“How desperate am I?” Fury responded, walking forwards. “You threaten my world with war, you steal a force you can’t hope to control, you talk about peace and you kill ‘cause it’s fun. You have made me  _ very _ desperate. And you might not be glad that you did,” he warned. 

“Ooh,” Loki breathed. “It  _ burns _ you to have come so close. To have the Tesseract, to have power,  _ unlimited _ power. And for what?” he questioned before turning again to the camera for a few seconds. “A warm light for all mankind to share. And then to be reminded what real power is.” 

Fury gazed back with a dogged expression before giving a derisive twitch of his lips. He turned to leave the room. “Well, let me know if ‘real power’ wants a magazine or something.”

Loki turned once more to the camera. Hermione wondered if he was trying to psyche out her or Bruce. Or perhaps his stare was meant for both of them? 

“He really grows on you, doesn’t he?” Bruce joked once the feed had cut out. She hoped that he was as unaffected as he seemed by Loki’s words. The last thing they needed right now was for Bruce to get angry.

“He’s certainly got a way with words,” she allowed with a wry smile. “I just wish we had more pieces of the puzzle.” Hermione glanced up at Agent Hill who had come to stand near them. “Have we heard anything more about Dr Schafer?” 

Hill nodded. “A number of bodies have been discovered at his laboratory. They were shot with arrows,” she added matter-of-factly.

Hermione bit her lip at the implication. She sincerely hoped that they would be able to free Agent Barton of Loki’s influence soon. 

“What was Loki’s motive for the assault?” Dr Banner asked. “What was Dr Schafer’s area of interest?”

“We’re waiting for it to be confirmed but we believe he was the owner of the largest single source of iridium,” Hill replied. “It was kept in a high security vault and due to Loki’s particular attention to Dr Schafer’s eyeball, we are anticipating that it was this that was stolen.” 

Hermione turned to Bruce questioningly. “Iridium?”

He frowned. “A member of the platinum family, incredibly dense and the most corrosion-resistant metal we know of.” 

“Any idea what Loki would want it for in relation to the cube?” Hill asked. 

Bruce shook his head. “Sorry.”

“Granger,” Fury’s voice said in her ear. “Meet me outside the holding cell.” Hermione excused herself from the others and made her way as instructed. 

“I assume Stark and Rogers have resumed their journey?” he asked in her ear as she walked.

“Yes, sir. They should be here in the next twenty minutes along with Thor,” she replied. “But I’m not sure that he and Tony are going to be the best of friends.”

“There’s a surprise,” he muttered in response. 

“Thor will want to see that his brother has come to no harm,” Hermione said, turning the final corner. 

“As long as he doesn’t try to abduct him again,” Fury replied lowly. He nodded at her approach. “I want you to read Loki’s mind,” he instructed, getting to the point. “See if you can figure out what he’s got planned.” 

Hermione felt her eyes widen and she took a moment to form her reply. “Sir, I know that I used that technique to free Natasha a few months ago but I didn’t have any alternative. Delving into someone’s mind is an absolute last resort.”

“And you don’t think we’ve reached that stage with Loki yet?” he questioned. “You heard me in there, Granger. You know how desperate we are. If we don’t stop Loki then who knows how many people will die? I seem to remember that a situation like this is the very reason that you got in contact and then agreed to become a part of S.H.I.E.L.D.” 

“But when I connect with someone else’s mind it is a two-way link. My abilities don’t work the same with Loki. If he is able to reverse the direction of thoughts and memories then there’s a huge chance that he will discover  _ everything _ .” She hated the way that her voice trembled, but there was no denying that she was scared of the possible consequences. 

“You would put the lives of a few ahead of the rest of the world?” Fury asked lowly. “If we wait too long, Loki might destroy us  _ all _ . I’m not willing to take that chance. Are you _? _ ” 

Hermione opened her mouth and then closed it again. What if this  _ was _ the only way to stop Loki? She’d never be able to live with herself if it turned out she hadn’t been brave enough to take that final step to save the world. So far it felt like they were always ten steps behind him. She doubted he could have anticipated her ability to see his thoughts and memories, so there was a good chance that she could determine his plans. 

“If he gives his permission, I would like to practise on Thor first so that I’m not going into Loki’s Asgardian mind completely blind,” she requested. 

Fury nodded. “Agreed.” 

When Hermione and Fury approached Thor with their plan twenty minutes later, he looked quite taken aback. “You do not jest? This is a serious suggestion?”

“I understand that the idea of someone else seeing into your mind can make you feel vulnerable,” Hermione replied calmly. “But if I am to have a greater chance of discovering Loki’s plans then it would help if I could experience another Asgardian’s mind first. It’s possible that your brains and ours are different.” 

Thor frowned. “I cannot be certain that Loki’s mind will be as alike to mine as you presume. Although my brother was raised on Asgard, his true heritage is that of a Frost Giant of Jotunheim.”

Hermione blinked in surprise. She recalled that Jotunheim was one of the realms Thor had mentioned to Jane Foster. “Are Frost Giants very different from your race? Loki doesn’t look like he comes from a different realm.”

“That is my father Odin’s doing,” Thor explained. “Loki and I only found out last year that he is the true son of Laufey. However, I still very much consider him my brother.” Hermione would be touched by Thor’s concern if she wasn’t so appalled by Loki’s recent actions. “I would speak with him before you attempt your mind-sorcery. It is possible that he is not yet beyond reason.”

Hermione managed to resist the very strong urge to wear a sceptical expression, but Fury duly asked her to accompany Thor down to the cell. 

“We will be able to hear everything you say,” Hermione warned. “Fury’s not going to take his eye off Loki for a second.” 

“That does not concern me,” Thor replied. “I have nothing to hide.” 

Hermione nodded. “If you’re unable to sway Loki’s mind, I won’t violate your privacy. It seems unnecessary considering he’s a different race from you too.” 

Thor looked at her thoughtfully. “We may have more in common than you’d think. If it helps us stop my brother, I am willing to try.” 

“Thank you,” Hermione replied. She keyed in the code to let Thor enter the corridor that would take him to Loki’s cell. “I’ll wait out here.” 

He nodded at her then entered, the door sliding shut behind him. She pressed another button to give her access to the footage and audio of what they were saying, and she knew that the scene would be repeated all over the ship. 

Hermione watched an amused smirk spread across Loki’s features as he saw his brother walk towards him. This was in stark contrast to the sombre look Thor wore. “I thought you dead,” he said lowly, stopping a couple of feet from the glass. 

“Did you mourn?” Loki mocked.

“Of course we did!” Thor objected, obviously hurt by Loki’s accusation. “Our father – ”

“ _ Your _ father,” Loki corrected. “He did tell you my true parentage, did he not?” 

“We were raised together,” Thor reminded him. “We played together, we fought together. Do you remember none of that?” 

Loki’s gaze hardened. “I remember a shadow, living in the shade of your greatness. I remember you tossing me into an abyss. I, who was, and should be, king!”

“So you take the world I love as a recompense for your imagined slights?” Thor shook his head. “No. The Earth is under my protection, Loki.”

Loki chuckled darkly. “And you’re doing a  _ marvellous _ job with that! The humans slaughter each other in droves while you idly fret. I mean to rule them,” he suggested lightly, “as why should I not?” Hermione felt a chill down her spine. He certainly wasn’t being candid.

“You think yourself above them?” Thor questioned.

Loki seemed surprised that his brother would ask him such a question. “Well, yes.”

“Then you miss the truth of ruling, brother,” Thor said sadly. “A throne would suit you ill.” 

Loki turned away with a snarl. “I’ve seen worlds you’ve never known about,” he boasted scornfully. “I have grown,  _ Odin’s son _ , in my exile. I have seen the true power of the Tesseract and when I wield it – ”

“Who showed you this power?” Thor asked in concern. “Who controls the would-be king?”

“I am a king!” Loki shouted vehemently, losing his cool for once.

“Not here!” Thor insisted angrily. “You give up the Tesseract, you give up this poisonous dream!” Thor’s gaze softened and he placed his hand against the glass. “You come home.”

Loki seemed to pause at the intensity of his brother’s gaze but then he smirked. “I don’t have it,” he admitted lightly and Thor turned away in frustration. “You need the cube to bring me home but I’ve sent it off I know not where. I suppose you might as well make yourself comfortable aboard this ship.” Loki turned towards the camera. “We’re all going to be enjoying each other’s company for quite a while longer.” 

Thor walked out of the room and Hermione cut the feed. She wasn’t surprised that Loki had shown no desire to put a halt to his plans, but she couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed anyway. 

There was a very determined look on Thor’s face as he approached her. “It is time to try your spell. We must put a stop to Loki’s schemes.” 

“As long as you’re sure,” Hermione checked. His resolute nod was enough to convince her and she showed him into a side room so they weren’t obstructing the corridor. “The spell isn’t supposed to cause you pain or discomfort,” she explained. “But you should glimpse old memories, thoughts and emotions as I do. I will avoid sensitive areas if I can. Try your best to push me out with your mind because that’s probably what Loki will try to do.” 

Thor nodded in understanding and stood stiffly, prepared for her spell. Hermione took out her wand and stared into Thor’s eyes. “ _ Legilimens _ ,” she whispered. 

Immediately, she was assaulted with images of a dark haired youth that she presumed to be Loki. The memories of the happy times Thor and Loki shared with each other in quite staggering scenery flitted past quickly. Hermione caught glimpses of a fight between the brothers on a vast, almost translucent bridge. She felt Thor’s despair as Loki fell and she tried to move away from the memories so as not to upset him. So far, his mind was no different to the very few others that Hermione had experienced. She couldn’t feel any great resistance from Thor so she pushed the idea of Jotunheim and the Frost Giants forward. His mind responded, throwing forward scenes from a huge battle in a dark and desolate landscape. Hermione almost gasped at the sight of the blue-skinned, red-eyed, muscular figures she saw.

Hermione carefully broke the connection. “Are you all right?” she asked, looking Thor over. 

“Yes, I believe so,” he replied cautiously. “That was a most unusual experience. Did you see everything I saw?” 

Hermione nodded. “But that all stays completely between us. I’d never dream of telling anyone else.”

He waved his hand and shook his head slightly to imply that he really wasn’t concerned about that. “My mind reacted in a way that was suitable for you?”

“I couldn’t detect any obvious differences,” she replied with a nod. “Hopefully, the same will be true with Loki.” 

Thor frowned. “You will need to take greater care with my brother. Loki is not unfamiliar with sorcery and is unfortunately adept at manipulation, trickery and deceit.” 

Hermione felt her stomach lurch uneasily. There were not many people who knew Loki better than his brother. She knew how much Thor cared for Loki; he wouldn’t make those sorts of accusations if he didn’t know them to be true. 

She took a deep breath and reached up to her earpiece. “Sir, I’m ready to proceed.” 

“Good,” Fury responded. “Do you want any backup?” 

“No,” she answered. “I think that would either antagonise Loki more or make him think me weak.” 

“Understood. We’ll be watching.” 

She set up the screen for Thor to watch and listen, and left the door to the corridor unlocked just in case anything should go horrendously wrong. 

“I wish you good fortune in finding what you are looking for,” he said.

“Thank you.” 

“See if you can get him to talk about the Chitauri,” Thor suggested. “They are the army I suspect he plans to lead against your people.” 

Hermione nodded, grateful for this piece of additional information.

There was nothing wrong with being nervous of Loki, she reassured herself as she took the very short walk to his cell. And it was wise to be both aware and cautious of the consequences of exploring his mind. She tried to convince herself that Loki’s eyes did not light up at the sight of her approaching his cell. There was no denying the smirk though. 

He opened his mouth to speak but Hermione didn’t give him the chance to say anything. “ _ Legilimens _ ,” she called, locking her gaze on to Loki’s. A whirlwind of thoughts and memories hurtled past her, far too fast for her to make any sense of them. She pushed the idea of the Chitauri at him and his mind started to respond, showing her images of a dark, shadowy world and strange alien people. 

The scenery suddenly shifted to the majestic landscapes she’d viewed in Thor’s memories. As stunning as Asgard was, viewing it now wasn’t going to help her stop Loki. She sent out the idea of the Tesseract but, though the scene stuttered slightly, she remained looking out at Thor’s realm. She could see the bridge where the siblings had fought, although in this image it was still intact. 

Hermione tried to manipulate his mind again, thinking of Agent Barton, Erik Selvig and iridium but nothing made an impact. He obviously had some experience of hiding his thoughts from others. She broke the spell.

Loki gazed back innocently. “Did you find anything of interest?” he enquired, the smirk twisting his features again. Hermione pursed her lips in frustration and Loki chuckled. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re beautiful when you’re angry?”

“Save it for someone who cares what you think,” she bit back and his grin widened. 

“Do I scare you, Agent Granger?” he whispered.

Hermione put her hand on her hip. “I’ve met people who were  _ infinitely _ scarier than you, Loki  _ Laufeyson _ .”

His eyes flashed angrily at her reference to his true parentage but he quickly masked his ire. “Really?” he replied, raising a curious eyebrow. “Do tell me of them.” 

“Well, for starters, there was my piano teacher,” Hermione began, unable to keep a trace of sarcasm from her voice. “She would spontaneously burst out into song. Then there was the lollipop man outside of my school who would always tell a joke as you walked across the road. Oh, and the local librarian was an absolute stickler for silence between the shelves. All _terrifying_ , and those were only the first three that jumped to mind.”

Loki’s eyes darkened menacingly but Hermione made herself stand tall. “Mockery will not fall so quickly from those lips soon,” he promised softy, his fingertips tracing the outline of her mouth on the glass. 

“We’ll see,” she replied airily and walked away from his cell without a backwards glance. However, once she’d turned out of sight from him, she leaned against the corridor and sucked in a deep breath to calm herself. Loki hadn’t sunk to the depth of evil she’d encountered in the fight against Voldemort, but his disregard for human life and desire to rule her entire world still chilled her to the core… 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hermione irritates Tony with the song 'Barbie Girl' by Aqua which I obviously do not own.  
> Hope you all enjoyed the chapter.


	14. Chapter 14

“What happened? Do you know what Loki’s got planned?” Steve asked once Hermione and Thor had made their way up to the bridge. Most of the team had assembled around the table. Tony was still finishing some repairs to his suit but Hermione didn’t know where Fury was.

She shook her head slightly in answer to Steve’s question. “His mind was too well protected. Once he’d recovered from my initial breach, he prevented me from exploring. The minutiae of his scheme are unknown to us but we think we’re pretty sure of the end result.” She nodded at Thor to take the lead.

“He has an army called the Chitauri,” Thor explained gravely. “They’re not of Asgard nor any world known. He means to lead them against your people. They will win him the Earth, in return, I suspect, for the Tesseract.” 

“The Chitauri were the only thought I could pursue in Loki’s mind before he shut me out,” Hermione added. “I could not see them clearly so I can’t estimate their number but they’re there. They’re waiting.” 

“An army, from outer space,” Steve clarified. Hermione nodded and the others shared worried glances. 

“So, he’s building another portal,” Bruce said, removing his glasses. “That’s what he needs Erik Selvig for.” 

“Selvig?” Thor repeated, looking surprised.

“He’s an astrophysicist,” Banner explained.

“He’s a friend,” Thor corrected. 

“Loki has him under some kind of spell,” Natasha informed him. “Along with one of ours.” Hermione frowned at the melancholy in her friend’s voice when she spoke of Agent Barton. Natasha obviously cared more about his welfare than she had previously let on. 

“I want to know why Loki let us take him,” Steve announced, sharing a suspicion that Hermione had held for a while. “He’s not leading an army from here.”

“I don’t think we should be focusing on Loki,” Bruce suggested. “That guy’s brain is a bag full of cats. You can smell crazy on him.” 

“Have care how you speak,” Thor warned. “Loki is beyond reason but he is of Asgard. And he is my brother.”

“He killed eighty people in two days,” Natasha pointed out.

Thor paused. “He’s adopted.” 

“I think it’s about the mechanics,” Bruce announced, trying to ease the tension in the room. “Iridium. What do they need the iridium for?” 

“It’s a stabilising agent,” Tony called, walking onto the bridge with Coulson. Tony was muttering something to him but Hermione couldn’t quite hear what it was about. Coulson looked both pleased and a little embarrassed though. “It means the portal won’t collapse upon itself like it did at S.H.I.E.L.D,” Tony continued then he spotted Thor. “No hard feelings, Point Break. You’ve got a mean swing,” he said, lightly patting the Asgardian on the arm. He caught Hermione’s eye. “I’m going to get you back for that song,” he promised, before turning to the central controls of the ship. “Also, it means the portal can open as wide and stay open as long as Loki wants.” He glanced around at the S.H.I.E.L.D workers below him. “Er, raise the mizzen masts, jib the topsails,” he joked, then suddenly pointed to the side. “That man is playing Galaga! Thought we wouldn’t notice, but we did.” 

Hermione rolled her eyes at his antics. He just couldn’t resist being the centre of attention. 

Tony peered at the controls in confusion and covered his left eye. “How does Fury even see these?” he asked.

“He turns,” Agent Hill answered. 

“Sounds exhausting,” he replied, then started examining what was on the screens. “The rest of the raw materials Agent Barton can get his hands on pretty easily. The only major component he still needs is a power source of high energy density. Something to…” he clicked his fingers, trying to think of the right word, “kick-start the cube.”

“When did you become an expert in thermo-nuclear astrophysics?” Hill asked.

“Last night,” Tony replied simply. “The packet, Selvig’s notes, the extraction theory papers?” Tony looked around in surprise at the mostly blank faces that were staring at him. “Am I the only one who did the reading?”

“Does Loki need any particular kind of power source?” Steve cut in. 

“He’d have to heat the cube to one hundred and twenty million Kelvin just to break through the coulomb barrier,” Bruce pointed out. 

Tony nodded in agreement. “Unless Selvig has figured out how to stabilise the quantum tunnelling effect.”

“Well, if he can do that, he could achieve heavy ion fusion at any reactor on the planet,” Bruce said in an impressed tone of voice.

“Finally, someone who speaks English,” Tony announced, holding his arm out to Bruce.

“Is that what just happened?” Steve asked, looking lost. 

Hermione bent forwards while Tony introduced himself to Bruce. “I haven’t got the first clue what they’re talking about either,” she whispered and he sent her a grateful smile.

“...and I’m a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green range monster,” Tony was saying.

Bruce looked as though he didn’t really know what to make of that comment. “Thanks,” he muttered.

“Dr Banner is only here to track the cube,” Fury called as he came onto the bridge, then turned to Tony. “I was hoping you might join him.”

“I’d start with that stick of his,” Steve suggested, before turning to Hermione. “It’s not quite as magical as your wand, but it works an awful lot like a Hydra weapon.”

“I don’t know about that,” Fury responded, “but it  _ is _ powered by the cube. And I’d like to know how Loki used it to turn two of the sharpest men I know into his personal flying monkeys.”

Thor frowned. “Monkeys? I do not understand.”

“I do!” Steve said with a grin, then seemed to realise that he might have overreacted slightly. “I understood that reference.” Hermione gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile.

“You’ve still got the spear?” Fury asked her and she nodded, patting her magically extended pocket. “Then it’s time to see what we’ve got.”

Tony met her eye and jerked his head before turning to Bruce. “Shall we play, Doctor?”

Bruce indicated the exit. “This way, sir.” When Hermione had fallen into step next to them, he turned and said, “It’ll be useful to see whether the spear matches the radiation you were giving off. Is it alright if I scan you again to see if your readings have changed?”

“Wait,” Tony said before she could reply. “Granger actually let you do tests on her?” 

“It’s nothing personal, Tony,” Hermione sighed before he got himself worked up. “We’re talking about the fate of the entire world. Don’t make everything about you.” 

“Oh, and here I thought that everything was about  _ you _ , Little Miss Sorceress,” Tony shot back. 

Bruce looked between the two of them in alarm. “Er, I thought you two were friends.” 

“This is what friendship with Tony looks like,” Hermione explained dryly. “Don’t worry. He’s just annoyed that I showed him up in front of the others by giving him a girly ringtone.” 

“You want to talk embarrassing ringtones?” Tony proposed irritably. “I’ve been giving your next one some thought. Don’t worry, you’re still going to be having AC/DC.” Luckily for her, Tony missed the scornful look on her face. “But I’ve been thinking of something a little more hardcore. How about, ‘Let’s Get It Up’ or ‘Hard as a Rock’?” He definitely didn’t miss Hermione’s glare this time. “What? I think Loki would really dig those for you.” 

She shoved him lightly but it was enough to make him bump into the wall. “You’re such a jerk,” she muttered, trying to cover her embarrassment. Loki’s supposed interest in her was the very last thing she wanted to talk about. She was almost certain that the Asgardian was putting it on to make her uncomfortable. Honestly, she thought Loki would much rather see her dead. 

Bruce was looking between the two of them in confusion, obviously not sure whether they were still joking or not.

Tony looked back at her as though something had just dawned on him. “Granger, has anyone ever told you that you’re beautiful when you’re angry?” He smirked, obviously amused with himself for repeating Loki’s earlier line. However, Tony looked less thrilled when he glanced down to see that the suit he’d been wearing was now a sparkly, pink mini dress, akin to something that Barbie might wear. 

“Er, guys?” Bruce said. “Remember that alien army from the other side of space that we’re trying to stop?” 

Hermione smiled composedly at him and tucked her wand away. “Of course, Dr Banner. Let’s go.”

“I was going to change out of my suit anyway!” Tony called after them as she and Bruce continued their walk to the lab. 

Bruce glanced at her cautiously. “So, that was er…”

“Childish, yes, I know,” Hermione replied with a frustrated sigh. “For some reason, Tony and I know exactly how to push each other’s buttons.” 

“Well, I’ve only been in your combined company for about five minutes, but it’s obvious that you care for each other too,” Bruce said as they entered the lab. “Do you have any siblings?” 

“No, I’m an only child,” she answered and then her eyes widened. “Oh, you mean he’s like the incredibly annoying older brother that I never had?” 

Bruce chuckled. “It could be something like that.” 

Hermione pondered this as she retrieved the sceptre from her pocket. She had very much considered Harry and Ron to be like brothers when she was growing up at Hogwarts, but her relationship with Tony was very different from the ones in her adolescence. Harry and Ron had relied on her a lot in their time together, and she didn’t regret that assistance for one moment. But Tony didn’t need her to look out for him at all. If anything, she was often having to play catch up to follow  _ his _ thought processes. His self-centred personality would drive her nuts sometimes, but she knew that there were reasons for his attention seeking (even if he’d never shared them with her) and that deep down he was really a good person.

However, what she liked most about Bruce’s theory was that it meant that Tony had come to think of her as almost like his little sister. Why she found this idea so appealing, she couldn’t quite put into words, but it made her feel inordinately happy inside and she returned the spear to its normal size with a goofy smile on her face.

A few minutes later, Tony entered the lab in rather more muted tones than his Barbie dress. Hermione smiled when she saw that he’d diplomatically decided to wear a Black Sabbath t-shirt. 

“I’m sorry,” she said and leant up quickly to kiss him on the cheek. 

He peered at her in surprise. “Er, yeah, OK. Me too.” He frowned. “You’re a little crazy, d’you know that? Are you sure Loki didn’t pass on a bit of his insanity when you read his mind?” 

Hermione wrinkled her nose. “I certainly hope not.” 

Tony turned to Bruce. “We got anything yet?”

“The gamma readings are definitely consistent with Hermione’s and the salvage reports of the Tesseract,” Bruce answered, slowly moving his Geiger counter over Loki’s spear. “But it’s still going to take weeks to process.” 

Tony walked over to a screen that had already been logged into Stark Industries. “If we bypass their mainframe and direct route to the H.O.M.E.R. cluster, we can clock this at around six hundred teraflops.” 

His words obviously made sense to Bruce because he chuckled and said, “All I packed was a toothbrush!” 

“You know, you should come by Stark Tower sometime,” Tony suggested, walking over to Bruce and picking up a random instrument from the workbench. “Top ten floors are all R&D. You’d love it. It’s candyland.”

“Thanks, but the last time I was in New York, I kind of broke… Harlem,” Bruce admitted. 

Hermione frowned. There was a glint in Tony’s eye that she didn’t quite trust. 

“Well, I promise a stress-free environment,” he reassured Bruce. “No tension, no surprises.” Tony unexpectedly jabbed at Bruce with the object he’d been holding.

“Ow!”

Hermione’s eyes widened in alarm. “And you think  _ I’m _ crazy?” She moved her hand to rest against her wand as a precaution. 

“Hey!” Steve called angrily, entering the lab while Tony peered into Bruce’s eyes.

“Nothing?” Tony asked, almost sounding disappointed at the lack of fury Bruce was showing.

“Are you nuts?” Steve questioned.

“Jury’s out,” Tony replied nonchalantly before turning back to Bruce. Hermione moved her hand away from her wand, relieved that the Hulk wasn’t about to make an appearance. “You really have got a lid on it, haven’t you? What’s your secret: mellow jazz, bongo drums, giant bag of weed?”

“Is everything a joke to you?” Steve asked.

“Funny things are,” Tony replied cockily. 

“Threatening the safety of everyone aboard this ship isn’t funny,” Steve pointed out, then turned slightly apologetically to Bruce. “No offence, Doc.”

“It’s all right,” Bruce reassured calmly. “I wouldn’t have come on board if I couldn’t handle pointy things.”

Tony frowned. “Did you know Granger has spied on you for S.H.I.E.L.D?” 

“ _ Tony! _ ” Hermione gasped, glaring at him. 

“She has this magic potion to disguise herself,” he continued. “And she checked up on you all over Asia.” 

Hermione walked forwards, watching Bruce carefully. He was frowning but, thankfully, didn’t look as though he was going to lose control. “I’m sorry for not telling you,” she admitted to him. “I wasn’t sure if knowing that would upset you.” She shot Tony a withering look while Steve berated him again. 

“Agent Romanoff already said that S.H.I.E.L.D never lost me,” Bruce told her. “If it had to be anyone, I’m glad it was you.” 

Tony clicked his tongue. “You’re tip-toeing, big man,” he said, putting down his tool and picking up a bag of food. “You need to strut.”

“And you need to focus on the problem, Mr Stark,” Steve reminded him. 

“Do you think I’m  _ not _ ?” Tony scoffed. “Why did Fury call us in? Why now? Why not before? What isn’t he telling us?” Hermione shifted uncomfortably. “I can’t do the equation unless I have all the variables.”

“You think Fury’s hiding something?” Steve asked. 

“He’s a spy,” Tony pointed out. “Captain, he’s  _ the _ spy. His secrets have secrets. Right, Granger?”

Hermione crossed her arms over her chest and frowned. “The Director is not about to reveal  _ everything _ he knows to you, otherwise he wouldn’t be doing his job. I’m sure that he wouldn’t hold back on anything that would help us.” 

“Uh-huh,” Tony responded, sounding less than convinced and dropping some food into his mouth. “It’s bugging him too, isn’t it?” he said, looking over at Bruce.

“Uhhh, I just want to finish my work here and…”

“Doctor?” Steve prompted. 

Bruce glanced warily in Hermione’s direction. 

“You don’t have to worry about Granger; she’s not like the rest of the S.H.I.E.L.D lackeys,” Tony said. Hermione didn’t know whether she should be pleased or annoyed by that statement. 

Bruce thought for a moment then removed his glasses. “ ‘A warm light for all mankind.’ Loki’s jab at Fury about the cube.” 

“I heard it,” Steve said.

“Well, I think that was meant for you,” Bruce claimed, pointing at Tony, who held out his pouch of food. Bruce helped himself and continued, “Even if Barton didn’t tell Loki about the Tower, it was still all over the news.”

“Stark Tower?” Steve deduced. “That big, ugly…” Hermione almost laughed at the put-out expression on Tony’s face before Steve chose a polite way to finish that sentence, “building in New York?” 

“It’s powered by an arc reactor, a self-sustaining energy source,” Bruce explained. “That building will run itself for, what, a year?”

“It’s just the prototype,” Tony answered, munching on more food. “I’m kind of the only name in clean energy right now. That’s what he’s getting at.” 

“So, why didn’t S.H.I.E.L.D. bring him in on the Tesseract project?” Bruce questioned. “What are they doing in the energy business in the first place?”

“Fury kept it from you, too, didn’t he?” Tony asked Hermione. Her pursed lips were enough of an answer for him. “Well, that makes total sense, doesn’t it? Keep the only person capable of magic away from the magical object,” he scoffed but then he shrugged. “No matter, we’ll know why once my decryption programme finishes breaking into all of S.H.I.E.L.D’s secure files.” 

“What?!” Hermione asked in alarm.

“J.A.R.V.I.S has been running it since I hit the bridge,” Tony explained calmly, showing them on his small screen. “In a few hours, I’ll know every dirty little secret S.H.I.E.L.D has ever tried to hide.” His smug mood dampened somewhat and he looked at Hermione. “Unless it’s got your name in, of course.”

“Is that because you didn’t want to annoy me or because you can’t undo the promise J.A.R.V.I.S made to me?” she asked suspiciously. 

“We both know I don’t mind annoying you,” Tony replied matter-of-factly. “Blueberry?” he offered, holding out the bag. 

“Yet you’re confused about why they didn’t want you around,” Steve said dryly.

“An intelligence organisation that  _ fears _ intelligence?” Tony questioned. “Historically, not awesome.” 

“I think Loki’s trying to wind us up,” Steve suggested, looking at them all in turn. “This is a man who means to start a war and, if we don’t stay focused, he’ll succeed. We have orders. We should follow them.”

“Following’s not really my style,” Tony pointed out, eating another blueberry. 

Steve stared at him. “And you’re all about style, aren’t you?”

“Of the people in this room, which one is, A, wearing a spangly outfit?” Tony asked mockingly, “and, B, not of use?”

“Steve,” Bruce said, trying to avoid a fight. “Tell me none of this smells a little funky to you.” 

Steve looked between the two men slowly. “Just find the cube,” he muttered before turning and exiting the lab. 

Hermione bit her lip, considering what to do. Tony’s theory that Fury was hiding something important had unsettled her. She knew that she had no business being privy to all of S.H.I.E.L.D’s secrets, especially when she shared so little about herself. But the fact that even Bruce thought that things didn’t add up had seriously made her question what had been going on at Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S.

“You don’t need me anymore, do you?” she asked Tony and Bruce, taking a step towards the exit.

Bruce shook his head. “I’ve already got your latest gamma readings.” 

“You’re not going to run and tattle to Fury, are you?” Tony asked disapprovingly, making her pause. 

“I should,” she pointed out. 

“But…” he prompted.

Hermione felt her lips twist into a frown. “But you could be right,” she admitted then hardened her tone. “Either way, any information you come across that doesn’t have to do with the Tesseract must not leave this room. If you go around blabbing international secrets, I will do a lot worse to you than make you wear a dress.”

“Sounds fair to me,” Bruce said with a chuckle. 

“You and Rogers are such a couple of killjoys,” Tony muttered, turning back to his work. Hermione took that as a verbal confirmation that he’d be discreet about whatever he uncovered and walked quickly out of the exit. 

She caught sight of Steve’s uniform further along the corridor and trotted after him. He glanced over at her when she fell into step next to him. 

“I’m, er, sorry about Tony,” she said quietly. 

Steve shook his head. “You shouldn’t apologise for him,” he replied. “His egotism has got nothing to do with you.” 

“True,” Hermione admitted with a small nod. “But if it makes you feel any better, he speaks to practically everyone that way.” 

“I’ve noticed,” he responded dryly. “And that doesn’t excuse it.”

“Of course not,” Hermione agreed. “Which is why I send a little spell his way every now and then to try and deflate his head a little. When this is all over, I’ll let you pick one, if you like. I’ve got a variety of jinxes in mind that I know he really won’t appreciate.” 

He let out a small breath of laughter and his lips turned upwards slightly. “Thanks. I may well take you up on that offer.” 

Why she was going out of her way to try and comfort Steve she really had no idea. Tony didn’t get on with many people, but the tension between him and Steve was particularly noticeable. She assumed that it was because they were pretty much polar opposites in terms of their personalities. Perhaps she wanted to protect Steve because she’d seen how vulnerable he could be when faced with something from the twenty-first century. Or maybe she could identify with someone else who liked to follow the rules. It could be down to the fact that he was pretty much the only person in the world that she wasn’t lying to. Whatever the reason, she wasn’t about to stop anytime soon. 

“I’m going to talk to Coulson,” she told him quietly and he paused.

“You think he’ll tell you anything?” Steve asked, sounding surprised.

“Not if he’s been told not to,” she admitted. “But I still want to ask. Tony might be a jerk but he’s not normally paranoid.” 

He seemed to consider her words. “I’ll distract the Director for you.” 

Hermione shook her head. “You don’t have to do that. It’s hardly suspicious for me to talk to Coulson about the Tesseract. Unfortunately, my reputation as being someone who likes to discover all the answers is well-known within certain areas in S.H.I.E.L.D.” 

“All right,” he replied. “Let me know what you find out. I’ve a mind to do a little investigating of my own.” 

She nodded and parted ways with him, walking back to the bridge. Coulson was talking with another agent as they looked at something on a computer screen. He saw her coming and broke off his conversation. 

“Is everything OK?” he asked in concern. 

Hermione nodded. “Yes, it’s fine. Tony and Bruce have got everything set up. They’re in scientific-genius mode at the moment and I barely understand a word they’re saying.” 

He laughed. “Join the club.” 

“Did you get Steve to sign your trading cards?” she asked with a grin, knowing how much he treasured his collection. 

“Not yet, but he said he would,” Coulson replied, obviously very pleased. 

Hermione took a long look around the bridge. “Can you believe this is actually happening?” she questioned wonderingly, with a small shake of her head.

Coulson shrugged. “It’s not that surprising given the last year we’ve had. We knew something like this was coming, we just didn’t know when.” 

She supposed that was true. The escalation of events in the muggle world and the arrival of an alien being were the reasons she’d become involved with S.H.I.E.L.D. She tapped on one of the screens near her and brought up an image of the Tesseract. 

“Who’d have thought this little cube would be so much trouble,” she said quietly. 

“You know as well as I do what happened the last time someone tried to control the Tesseract,” Coulson reminded her, clearly referring to Schimdt’s work with Hydra during the Second World War.

Hermione glanced over at him. “Why were S.H.I.E.L.D experimenting on it then? Sounds like a pretty risky venture to me.” 

Coulson nodded. “But unlimited power is going to be desperately needed soon,” he pointed out. “This planet’s resources are drying up. Can you imagine the chaos that would occur if we had no energy?” 

“I wish I could read about it,” she sighed. “I can’t find information on Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S anywhere.” 

He looked at her in puzzlement. “You’re interested in self-sustaining energy?” 

“Not quite,” she admitted. “The Tesseract is the closest thing we’ve come across that’s similar to my magic, so that’s where my interest lies. I wonder why Fury kept it from me?” she let the question hang in the air between them and watched his reaction. 

“Hermione, as incredible as you are, even you cannot be a part of everything,” Coulson said gently. 

Evasion. Pure and Simple. 

The Tesseract was dangerous and the fact that Coulson wouldn’t be honest about S.H.I.E.L.D’s work with it seriously worried her. 

“No, I suppose not,” Hermione agreed mildly. She wasn’t angry at Coulson (she couldn’t be when there was so much that she was hiding from him) but she couldn’t help feeling frustrated.

“I’ll see if I can find anything else on the Tesseract for you,” he offered with a smile, obviously sensing her disappointment. “God forbid Hermione Granger doesn’t have some answers to her questions.” 

“Thanks,” she replied, somewhat suspicious of his motives but doing her best to hide it.

“Go get some rest,” he suggested, patting her lightly on the back. “I’ll have something ready for you when you wake.” 

“All right,” she agreed. “Thank you, Coulson.” 

Hermione managed to keep the frown off of her face until she exited the bridge. It was pretty obvious that he’d tried to fob her off for a few hours until he could make a fake report. 

She walked in the direction of the sleeping quarters but didn’t stop at her own. There was no way she would be able to rest while these accusations were hanging over her head.

Steve quickly answered her knock on his door. 

“Let’s go investigate S.H.I.E.L.D,” she suggested. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nothing groundbreaking, I know, but things are definitely starting to heat up. 
> 
> Hope you're all keeping safe.


	15. Chapter 15

Steve waved his camouflaged hand in front of his face, watching as the colours changed with the background. Hermione’s spell was very useful. There were times when a red, white and blue suit wasn’t really appropriate, and moving around S.H.I.E.L.D’s helicarrier to look for something they might be hiding was definitely one. 

They had used Hermione’s security clearance to get deeper into the bowels of the craft, having identified a number of rooms from the ship’s schematics that they wanted to investigate. They had no idea what they were looking for or if they would even find anything, but it felt better to do something rather than sit around waiting for Stark’s computer virus to break into those files. 

“Ready?” Hermione asked. She was camouflaged too – or  _ disillusioned _ as she called it. He couldn’t really see her properly, except for her eyes. 

They’d stopped outside the first of the secure storage rooms. If they were going to find anything at all, this was the most logical place for it to be. 

He nodded and she slotted her small hand into his, before disapparating them to the other side of the door. It was quite a large room, set on two floors. 

“You search down here,” he instructed quietly. The storage area appeared to be deserted but it was better to be careful. “I’ll go up.” 

Steve leapt up to easily pull himself onto the walkway of the upper level. As you’d expect of a storage area, there were a lot of boxes and containers for them to look through. After a few minutes of unsuccessful searching, they reconvened at the door to the next storage room. They landed with a small pop but Steve immediately pulled her down behind a couple of large metallic boxes. 

“Did you hear that?” a voice called. 

Hermione’s eyes were wide as they stared into his. Steve was pretty sure that as long as they stayed still, it would be almost impossible for them to be discovered and even if they were, they’d only be at risk of a reprimand from Fury. However, that didn’t stop his pulse from racing. He was tucked so closely into Hermione that he could feel her heart beating into his shoulder too, and her quick breaths tickling against his neck. Steve couldn’t remember the last time he’d been this close to someone. He couldn’t see it, but he could feel a lock of her hair resting against his cheek and he fought a bizarre urge to reach out and tuck it behind her ear. 

They heard the sound of footsteps approaching their location and Steve closed his eyes so they wouldn’t give him away. He sensed a beam of light being shone over them but there was no cry of alarm. 

“You’re hearing things,” another voice grumbled and the footsteps receded. 

He and Hermione remained still while they waited for the room to be completely vacated. Steve risked a glance back at her eyes and saw that the fear had faded from them. He realised with a wrench in his gut just how alone he felt in this century. He’d give his right arm for Bucky, Howard, Dum Dum, the rest of the Howling Commandos or even Colonel Phillips to be here with him. Not that it was a fate he’d truly wish on any of them.

Sure, he’d made acquaintances here but he wouldn’t exactly count anyone aboard this ship as a friend. Hermione would probably be the closest, but she was such a mystery that he didn’t really have a clue where he stood with her yet.

The problem with getting closer to Hermione was that she reminded him so much of Peggy, and she was the person he missed most of all. There were the obvious similarities, such as their country of origin and ability to thrive in a male-led profession. And they were both incredibly brave and intelligent, capable of great kindness but also had a streak of rebellion. The way Hermione had confided in him about her falsehoods showed that she had put great trust in him, like Peggy had always done…

Thanks to Hermione’s report a couple of days ago, he knew that Peggy was still alive. She had married and raised a family. Steve was happy for her, truly he was, but that didn’t stop it from hurting when he pictured what their lives might have been together. 

He was strangely thankful that he had a mad Norse god hell-bent on world domination to serve as a distraction from his personal feelings. 

Hermione pulled herself away from him and he wished he didn’t mourn the loss of body contact. 

It was in the third storage area that they found them. 

“What are they?” Hermione asked, clearly noticing the dark look on Steve’s face as he stared down at the containers’ contents. She bent forward for a closer look and then gasped, turning to him with confused eyes. “Hydra weapons! But…why?” 

“Hydra used the energy of the Tesseract to power their weaponry,” Steve stated, still disbelieving that his old adversary was here to haunt him. “They were incredibly powerful.” 

He heard Hermione take a calming breath next to him. “So you think S.H.I.E.L.D are developing that same technology?”

“If they are, would they try to cover it up?” he asked, wanting to be proved wrong. 

Her lips twisted into a grim smile. “I have a condition in my business contract with Tony that nothing we create be considered a weapon. When you’ve been through a war, the last thing you want is to pave the way for more bloodshed.” She shook her head. “Fury and the others know killing someone isn’t exactly part of my skills set. There’s no way that S.H.I.E.L.D would let me know about this and I don’t think the others will be too pleased either.” 

Steve nodded. He picked up one of the weapons even though the mere sight of it made him feel sick. “It’s time we asked Fury a few questions.”

* * *

Hermione followed in Steve’s wake. She could tell how upset he was about their discovery. He was so determined to get answers that he simply pulled the locked doors aside instead of waiting for her to apparate them. He wouldn’t even pause to let her remove the disillusionment charm and she had to make a flying leap to tap him on the head. 

They had assumed that Fury would be on the bridge but they saw him go into the lab to speak with Tony and Bruce.

“What  _ is _ Phase Two?” they heard Tony ask as they re-entered the room.

Steve dropped the large weapon onto the counter with a clang, attracting everyone’s attention. “Phase Two is S.H.I.E.L.D uses the cube to make weapons,” he stated, before turning to Tony. “Sorry, computer was moving a little slow for us.” 

“Rogers, we gathered everything related to the Tesseract,” Fury explained walking forwards. “This does not not mean that we’re making – ”

“I’m sorry, Nick,” Tony interrupted, turning the screen round to face them “What were you lying?” 

Hermione moved forwards to inspect the screen. From what she could see, that technology displayed there wasn’t for a relatively simple hand held weapon like the old ones she and Steve had found. It looked more like a high powered bomb - the sort that could wipe out an entire city.

“I was wrong, Director,” Steve said. “The world hasn’t changed a bit.” 

“Did you know about this?” Bruce asked and Hermione turned to declare her innocence, but she saw that he was talking to Natasha, who had just entered with Thor. 

Natasha looked warily at Bruce. “You want to think about removing yourself from this environment, Doctor?” 

Bruce laughed ironically. “I was in Calcutta. I was pretty well removed.” 

“Loki is manipulating you,” Natasha said in a calm voice. 

“And you’ve been doing what, exactly?” Bruce pointed out.

“You didn’t come here because I bat my eyelashes at you,” she countered.

“Yes, and I’m not leaving because suddenly you get a little twitchy.” Bruce walked over to the screen. “I’d like to know why S.H.I.E.L.D is using the Tesseract to build weapons of mass destruction.” 

There was a pause as everyone waited for Fury to answer. 

“Because of him,” he said eventually, pointing at Thor. 

“Me?” Thor said, looking somewhat surprised. 

“Last year, Earth had a visitor from another planet who had a grudge match that levelled a small town,” Fury explained. “We learned that not only are we not alone, but we are hopelessly, hilariously, outgunned.” Fury’s gaze landed on Hermione as he finished. She wondered if he was appealing to her to back him up, to defend his cause, given that Kingsley had shared the same concern. But she couldn’t justify the potential harm these weapons could do. She stayed silent. 

“My people want nothing but peace with your planet,” Thor objected.

“But you’re not the only people out there, are you?” Fury countered. “And you’re not the only threat. The world’s filling up with people who can’t be matched, that can’t be controlled.” It was only for the briefest of moments but Hermione saw Fury glance in her direction again and a sickening feeling pooled in her stomach. He was talking about magic... 

All this time she had assumed that Fury was happy for her to act as liaison; to be the bridge between the two worlds. She’d thought that with her as a willing member of S.H.I.E.L.D, he wouldn’t consider the magical community to be much of a threat. And now that Voldemort was gone, they really weren’t! But, she realised, what proof did Fury have apart from her word? 

He trusted  _ her _ . She had to believe that, otherwise she couldn’t understand why he would involve her so heavily in S.H.I.E.L.D. But for all the things Fury knew she was capable of, he was aware that there were plenty of others (and far more magical people than he even knew about) who could do just the same. She could see that, from his view, all it would take was another witch or wizard to go bad and there could be havoc on the planet, and not all that much S.H.I.E.L.D could do to stop it. If it came to that, she knew that Nick Fury was the sort of man who would make a hard decision in order to save lives. He’d made that very clear from their first meeting. 

She realised that she’d missed what people were saying. As terrifying as Fury’s last resort to a magical war was, for now, Loki was the imminent threat. 

“You forced our hand,” Fury was saying to Thor. “We had to come up with someth – ” 

“A nuclear deterrent,” Tony interrupted before adding dryly, “Because that always calms everything right down.”

Fury turned to him in annoyance, “Remind me again how you made your fortune, Stark?” 

Steve stepped forward. “I’m sure if he still made weapons, Stark would be neck deep – ”

“W-wait, hold on, how is this now about me?” Tony asked.

“I’m sorry, isn’t everything?” Steve retorted.

“This is ridiculous,” Hermione muttered, though no one paid any attention to her. 

“I thought humans were more evolved than this,” Thor said somewhat pompously, causing Fury to turn on him.

“ _ Excuse me _ , did we come to  _ your _ planet and blow stuff up?” 

“You treat your champions with such mistrust,” Thor accused.

Hermione closed her eyes and rubbed one hand across her forehead. She was beginning to get a serious headache.

“They’re not my champions!” Fury denied.

“Are you boys that naïve?” Natasha chipped in. “S.H.I.E.L.D monitors potential threats.” 

“Captain America’s on threat watch?” Bruce asked in surprise.

“We all are,” she replied.

“Wait, you’re on that list?” Hermione heard Tony ask Steve as other arguments continued in the room. “Are you above or below angry bees?”

Hermione slowly inched her wand from her pocket, still keeping her eyes closed.

“Stark, so help me God,” Steve said agitatedly, “if you make one more wisecrack – ”

“Threat, verbal threat!” Tony cried. “I feel threatened.” 

And that was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Hermione opened her eyes and quickly jabbed her wand at the various occupants of the room, rendering each of them silent in turn. She avoided casting the charm at Bruce, but he too stopped talking once he realised what was happening to the others. 

A number of angry eyes looked in her direction. Should she feel bad for using magic on muggles? Probably. But not when they were behaving so childishly. 

“Your bickering is getting us nowhere,” she said calmly. “You said it yourself, Steve. Loki is trying to wind us up and it’s working. How can we function as a team when we’re at each other’s throats?” 

“A team?” Bruce repeated derisively. “No, we’re a chemical mixture that makes chaos. We’re, we’re a time bomb.” 

Hermione swallowed nervously. She had to calm him down. “Bruce, do you remember washing your clothes in the stream outside Mumbai?” she asked. He stared at her. “Do you remember Sakina?” 

“Sakina,” he repeated gently and familiarity shone in his eyes. “That – that was  _ you _ ?” 

She nodded. “I hate to break it to you but that technique I showed you for slapping your clothes against the rocks definitely wasn’t the most tried and tested method.” 

His lips pulled into a smile. “You shared your lunch with me,” he recalled. “That was some good roti bread.” 

“Yes,” she agreed. “It was so beautiful beside the stream that I stayed there for an hour even after you left.” 

Bruce let out a long breath and nodded at her. “Thank you,” he said softly. 

Someone jabbed hard at her back and she turned with a glare, easily identifying Tony as the guilty culprit. He donned a face of innocence and pointed at Steve, who shoved his arm away in irritation. 

“You’re not going to bicker with one another, are you?” she asked, looking around at Fury, Thor and Natasha too. The looks they sent her way quite clearly conveyed their lack of amusement at her silencing spell, but she reversed the charm before they got too angry with her.

“I hate that spell,” Tony muttered.

“You prefer the one where I make you wear a little pink dress?” Hermione asked teasingly.

“ _ What? _ ” Steve and Natasha looked over at Tony in delighted surprise.

Tony glared at her. “Low blow.” 

“Then don’t jab me in the back.” 

Fury approached Bruce. “Doctor, I think it best if you leave.”

“Why shouldn’t the guy let off a little steam?” Tony asked, placing a hand on Steve’s shoulder.

“You know damn well why,” he replied testily, pushing Tony’s arm away again. “Back off.” 

“Oh, I’m starting to want you to make me,” Tony said lowly. 

Hermione tightened her grip on her wand, ready to silence him again, but someone grabbed her wrist. She turned and saw Natasha shake her head slowly, silently telling her to let them be. 

“Yeah. Big man in a suit of armour,” Steve said circling round Tony. “Take that off, what are you?” 

“Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist,” Tony replied without missing a beat. 

“I know guys with  _ none _ of that worth  _ ten _ of you,” Steve stated while Tony stared impassively back at him. “I’ve seen the footage. The only thing you really fight for is yourself. You’re not the guy to make the sacrifice play, to lay down on a wire and let the other guy crawl over you.”

“I think I would just cut the wire,” Tony replied mockingly. 

Steve smiled and glanced at the others. “Always a way out,” he muttered before his gaze hardened again. “You know you may not be a threat, but you better stop pretending to be a hero.”

“A hero? Like you?” Tony retorted. “You’re a laboratory experiment, Rogers. Everything  _ special _ about you came out of a  _ bottle _ .” 

Hermione desperately wanted to say something, to protect her friends from each other, but she knew Natasha was right. They needed to voice their differences if they were ever going to get past them. Not to mention that a small part of her knew that some of the accusations Steve had made about Tony were painfully accurate. 

“Put on the suit,” Steve suggested darkly. “Let’s go a few rounds.” 

A deep chuckle broke the moment. “You people are so petty,” Thor laughed. “And tiny.”

“Yeah, this is a team!” Bruce scoffed.

“Agent Romanoff,” Fury began. “Will you escort Doctor Banner back to his –“

“Where?” Bruce interrupted. “You rented my room.”

Fury shook his head slightly. “The cell was just in case –“ 

“In case you needed to kill me! But you can’t. I know, I tried!” Bruce announced and Hermione felt her heart ache for him. She hadn’t realised quite how bad things had been for him. “I got low,” Bruce explained. “I didn’t see an end. So, I put a bullet in my mouth, and the other guy spit it out. So I moved on. I focused on helping other people. I was good. Until you  _ dragged _ me back into this freak show and put everyone here at risk.” As the level of anger in Bruce’s voice rose, Hermione raised her wand in readiness. She watched in alarm as he reached behind him and picked up Loki’s spear. “You want to know my secret, Agent Romanoff? You want to know how I stay calm?” 

“Doctor Banner,” Steve called and Bruce glanced over at him. “Put down the sceptre.” 

Bruce looked down at his hand, seemingly surprised to see the weapon there. Everyone held their breath to see what he would do. When he raised his eyes, Hermione hoped she could see the anger dissipating. 

A series of electronic beeps made them all turn. It was coming from the device that was searching for the Tesseract. 

“Got it,” Tony said as Bruce thankfully put the spear on the workbench. 

“Sorry, kids,” he muttered, walking over to the screen. “You don’t get to see my party trick after all.” 

“You located the Tesseract?”

“I’m on my way,” Tony said, turning to leave.

“Wait,” Hermione called. “All of us should go.” 

“You’re not going alone.” Steve reached out a hand to stop him but Tony shrugged him off.

“You going to stop me?” Tony asked angrily. 

“Put on the suit, let’s find out,” Steve retorted as Hermione put herself between them.

“Just stop it, both of you,” she said, trying to push them apart.

“I’m not afraid to hit an old man,” Tony warned, ignoring her. 

“Put on the suit,” Steve repeated lowly. 

Hermione shot a few sparks out of the end of her wand and they took a couple of steps backwards in surprise. 

“Oh my God…” Bruce breathed and Hermione looked over in concern. Whatever he’d seen on the screen couldn’t be good. 

A sudden explosion threw everyone to the floor as glass and equipment smashed all around them. The air was forced from Hermione’s body by the impact of the fall but she felt herself pulled to her feet by Steve. 

“Put on the suit,” he said to Tony, a note of urgency in his voice. 

“Yep,” Tony agreed, staggering from the lab, Steve right behind. 

Hermione whirled around to take in the scene but it was almost impossible with all the smoke. She helped Fury to his feet then looked to him for instructions. “Sir?” 

“Loki,” was all he said in response. Hermione nodded and started running for the holding cell. She couldn’t risk apparating around the ship when they were under attack from unknown forces. 

“Hill?” she heard Fury ask, wanting a status update.

“External detonation,” Hill’s voice spoke in her ear. “Number three engine is down.” Things could be a lot worse, Hermione reasoned as she descended a set of stairs. The helicarrier had four engines, after all. Of course, if another one lost power then it was a different story. “Somebody’s gotta get outside and patch that engine,” Hill instructed.

“Stark, you copy that?” Fury’s voice commanded and Hermione heard a positive response in her ear. “Coulson initiate defensive lockdown in the detention section,” Fury ordered. “Granger’s already on her way, then get to the armoury. Romanoff?”

“We’re OK,” said Natasha’s voice, but it sounded strained to Hermione’s ear. 

She was a few metres away from the entrance to Loki’s cell when she heard the roar. She skidded to a halt. “Code Green, Granger!” came Natasha’s panicked whisper and there was another guttural roar, this time enhanced by the earpiece. 

“Where are you?” she replied urgently, turning away from Loki. The Hulk was now the biggest threat on board the helicarrier. 

“Just beneath the lab!” Natasha yelled, a series of clangs and grunts echoing in the background. Disregarding her earlier caution, Hermione apparated to the corresponding spot and quickly bent down to pick up one of the pieces of glass that littered the floor. She sprinted towards the loud roars and bangs, hoping that she wasn’t too late to protect Natasha from the Hulk’s fury. 

“Bruce!” she yelled, trying to attract his attention and a large metal grille flew through the air at her head. She managed to raise a shield just in time for it to rebound. He burst out at her and she reacted instinctively. “ _ Immobulus!”  _ she cried, forcing as much energy behind the spell as she could. Blue light flashed around them. The momentum he was travelling with made him tumble to the ground and Hermione threw herself out of the way. Once he’d ground to a halt, Hermione scampered over to him but kept a wary distance. Although his limbs were frozen in place, she could see the fury still raging in his eyes. 

“Sir, permission to transport the Hulk off the ship?” she asked. 

“Granted,” came the terse reply. 

Hermione balanced the piece of glass on the huge green shoulder. “I’ll join you soon,” she promised. “Don’t panic.” 

Hermione tapped the glass with her wand and focused on the destination she had in mind, activating the glass as a portkey. She stood back as the huge form of the Hulk vanished in a swirl of wind. 

“Where have you sent him?” a voice asked over her shoulder. She turned in surprise but relaxed when she saw it was Thor.

“Somewhere reasonably remote,” she replied. “But I’ll have to follow him to make sure he’s safe.” Thor nodded. “Can you watch Loki? That’s where I was supposed to be.”

His face darkened. “Of course. I wish you good fortune.” He held out his hand and started walking towards the exit. 

“And you!” she called after him, before ducking out of the way as his hammer whizzed past. “Natasha, are you all right?” she called, turning to look for her friend. 

“I’ll be fine,” came the pained reply in her ear. “Go check on Banner. But be quick, I think we’ll still need you back here.” 

“Stay safe,” Hermione said, then disapparated. 

The contrast in light on the rocky banks of the reservoir forced Hermione to shield her eyes for a moment. Green Mountain National Forest looked as beautiful and tranquil as you’d expect, except for the furious Hulk that was charging in her direction. 

“ _ Depulso _ !”she yelled, forcing him to be flung backwards. Unsurprisingly, this only enraged him more and he let out an ear-splitting roar that shocked a number of birds from the trees. 

Hermione thought quickly. She needed to get him to become Bruce again as soon as possible so that she could get back to the base. She knew that normally he would transform once the anger had been sated but she didn’t have time to wait for that to happen, especially if her magic only riled him even more. The alternative was that she oust the Hulk from his mind by forcing him into unconsciousness. Given how quickly her freezing charm had worn off on him, she doubted that a simple stunning spell would do the trick.

The Hulk scooped a handful of large rocks from the water’s edge and flung them at her. Hermione apparated a few yards to the side, avoiding them easily. 

“ _ Depulso _ !”she cried again, but with a more focused direction to the spell. She forced his enormous form into the reservoir and backed up the banishing charm with a non-verbal  _ Deprimo _ to maintain downwards pressure and keep him under the water. She could no longer see his body but from the way the water churned she knew he was still fighting the magic. Her hand shook as she enforced the spell, hating herself for having to put Bruce through this. 

The surface of the reservoir became smooth and Hermione hesitated.  _ No _ , said a voice in her head.  _ Don’t stop. Force him deeper and deeper until he’ll never rise again... _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all your support. Keep safe!


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning - there is a rather rude curse word at the very end of the chapter!

The surface of the reservoir became smooth and Hermione hesitated.  _ No _ , said a voice in her head.  _ Don’t stop. Force him deeper and deeper until he’ll never rise again... _

Hermione cancelled the spell at once, horrified that she would think like that for even a moment. She ran to the water’s edge, casting a bubblehead charm as she went, before rushing into the icy water. Lighting her wand to the maximum brightness, she submerged herself and started to look for Bruce or the Hulk, she didn’t mind which at that time. 

Hermione glimpsed something pale a few feet away and swam over to it as quickly as she could. It was Bruce alright, but he wasn’t looking particularly alive. She grabbed his arm and used her magic to first of all raise them to the surface, then propel them to shore. 

“ _ A-anapneo _ ,” she stuttered, her body trembling from the shock and the cold. To her eternal relief, Bruce’s chest rose and his eyes flew open. She stepped back as he rolled over, coughing and spluttering. “Thank God,” she breathed, holding a shaking hand to her head. “Bruce, I’m so sorry! I don’t know –“

“Do you happen to have a spell that makes pants?” he rasped over his shoulder and it was only then that she noticed how devoid of clothing he was.

“Oh!” Hermione replied. “Give me a minute.” She turned around to make them both more comfortable and unzipped her jacket. She severed the long sleeves and spelled them into a pair of trousers that she hoped would fit him. Then she removed her slightly drier t-shirt and expanded it until it would fit him. “Here,” she said, passing the garments to him after donning her much depleted jacket.

“Thanks,” he muttered and she turned away while he dressed. “You were right about me not having to worry about your safety when I’m with you,” he commented. His tone was far lighter than Hermione thought she deserved. “It makes a nice change.” 

“Y-you’re not angry with me?” she asked in surprise, not wanting to look at him for a different reason now. “I nearly killed you!” 

“Right.  _ Nearly _ ,” Bruce emphasised, coming to stand next to her and she forced herself to meet his gaze. She could see for herself that his eyes were anger-free. They even looked kind. “You said you’d never hurt me and, apart from a slightly sore throat, that’s exactly what happened. More importantly, you stopped  _ me _ from hurting anyone else,” he pointed out. “Thank you.” 

“You’re welcome, I guess,” she replied uncertainly, still slightly unsettled by what had happened. “I, er, need to get back to base.”

Bruce nodded. “Go. I’ll be fine.” 

“There’s a ski resort about four kilometres over those hills,” she told him, feeling guilty at the idea of abandoning him in the middle of Vermont. “It’s not peak season but there’s bound to be someone who can lend you a hand. When we’ve got the helicarrier sorted, I can come back and find you,” she offered.

“Thanks, but I don’t think that’s a great idea,” he replied, shaking his head. “We’ve found the Tesseract. I don’t see what further use I’d be up there.” 

“Where is it?” she asked, remembering that the attack had prevented the location from being shared. 

“New York,” he said gravely and she felt dread fill her stomach at the implications. “It looked like someone was just about to cross into Manhattan with it.”

“Great,” she muttered sarcastically. “So, I guess I’ll see you there.” She fixed her gaze on Bruce, daring him to back away from ending Loki’s scheme. 

He nodded. “I’ll be rather hard to miss.”

She grinned and squeezed his hand affectionately. After bidding Bruce a quick goodbye, she focused her attention on how she was to return to the helicarrier. If it was stationary, that wouldn’t be a problem, but while it was under attack it was unlikely to be employing a steady flight path. That would make portkeys and direct apparation a little difficult and rather dangerous. She’d checked the ship’s coordinates before she left and kept them in mind when she disapparated. 

Hermione had known that she would reappear in thin air but it was still rather disconcerting to feel yourself plummeting to the ground. She looked around, struggling to see any sign of the boat. She’d purposefully apparated to a spot that would be above it but they were obviously having more engine trouble than she’d anticipated. She hadn’t anticipated the cloudy sky and it really wasn’t making things any easier either. Something glinted, reflecting the sunlight, and she felt a jolt of hope until she saw that it was just the water below. Another reflection twinkled below to her left and this time she could see the helicarrier, black smoke still curling up from one of the turbines. Hermione angled her body to fall in its direction and when she got closer, she changed into her animagus form: the merlin falcon. 

Truth be told, this altitude was a little too high for her to be completely comfortable with but she knew it was only for a short while. She beat her wings and glided on the wind, desperate to get back on board. As Hermione got closer, she could see that the ship was severely listing to one side. She swooped down to gently land on deck and immediately transformed herself back into a human. “Sir, Agent Granger here - where do you need me?” The ship shuddered and she looked around in alarm, but it was merely a slowing down of their descent as one of the faulty engines started running again. 

“Holding cell. Meet me there,” Fury ordered. “Just be careful, we’re blind down here.” 

“Yes, sir.” Once again, Hermione raced through the ship, hurrying to that dreaded cell. There were signs of devastation everywhere and she had to jump over more than one lifeless figure that she hoped was merely unconscious. 

“Granger, get here quick!” Fury barked in her ear and Hermione’s mind whirled with what could have made the Director sound so agitated. 

When she entered the holding area a few seconds later, she wasn’t prepared for the sight that met her eyes: Coulson was dying.

_ “No!” _ she cried, throwing herself to her knees and clutching his hand, while Fury tried to keep Coulson alert. “W-what happened? Where are you hurt?” She couldn’t see any wounds on his front so she moved his back forward slightly. “Oh, God,” she gasped at the amount of blood staining the wall. 

She tightened her grip on her wand. She could do this, she could save him. 

“H-herm-ione,” Coulson panted. “He said he… he had a surprise for you.”

“Don’t talk to me, Coulson, I’m trying to save you here,” she whispered frantically, pushing his words out of her mind. “Talk to the Director.” 

After a quick moistening of her lips, she opened her mouth to begin reciting the incantation.

Her eyes widened in alarm. She couldn't remember the words!

She'd never forgotten the words to a spell before. How could it happen at such a critical moment?! Panic stricken, she cast her mind around for the words that had just been on the tip of her tongue before vanishing from her memory.

She could hear Coulson talking to Fury, giving her hope that all wasn't lost.

Valnera Sanentur. The words returned with a flash and sharp pain in her head and she refocused on Coulson's wounds.

"V-valnera Sanentur," she chanted, slowly waving her wand over his chest. She took a steady breath, ready to repeat the words as required for the spell to work, and a small wave of relief started to creep across her chest. Fury laid a hand on her shoulder and she almost faltered. Why would he do that when she was in the middle of such an important spell?

" _ Valnera Sanentur _ ," she repeated.

"Granger," the Director said, the tone of his voice distracting Hermione enough for her to spare him a glance. The mournful look in his eyes instantly stopped the spreading relief, and her blood chilled.

"But," she began to say, then she turned to look at Coulson's face and she saw the awful truth in his unseeing eyes.

She was too late.

* * *

Having someone cry themselves to sleep on his shoulder was a completely alien experience for Tony. It was not one that he wanted to repeat. Ever. 

Granger had been damn near hysterical following Coulson’s death. Her eyes had already been bloodshot and puffy when Tony had come across her halfway up a flight of stairs. Upon seeing him, she practically tackled him and commenced the shoulder-sobbing. All of his snarky comments about personal boundaries and ruining his clothes with her snotty tears remained firmly on the tip of his tongue for once. 

Through her cries, he just about managed to surmise that she considered Coulson’s death to be her fault. Quite how she’d come to that conclusion Tony couldn’t be sure, because he’d been reliably informed that the agent had been stabbed by Loki. And, what was more, Granger had acted as quickly as she could to try and save him. He’d tried to tell her this but it’d only made her sob harder. 

After a few minutes, she’d begun to quieten and Tony had thanked his lucky stars that the awkward moment was about to be over. However, when she made no move to push herself away, he glanced down and, from the small part of her face that he could see, realised the truth. 

In his chest, he’d felt a pang of something, but he didn’t know what it was, nor did he have any desire to explore that feeling. He scooped Granger into his arms. As a self-declared genius, Tony knew the calculations behind the amount of work he would require to lift someone of her stature, but the lightness of her frame still took him by surprise. He determined that she couldn’t have been eating properly, and the fact that she’d fallen asleep on his shoulder showed how exhausted the poor kid was. 

Things were still hectic enough on the helicarrier that nobody had paid Tony any attention as he’d carried Granger back to the sleeping area. Once he’d laid her on the bed, he’d voiced a ship-wide threat to throw anyone who disturbed her overboard. 

This warning hadn’t applied to himself, of course, which was why he was happy to bang on her door an hour later, with Rogers in tow, to tell her that he’d figured out where the Tesseract was headed. He  _ hadn’t _ been thrilled to find out that she’d known about New York already, but he’d somehow managed to push that irritation aside in the wake of her recent emotional vulnerability. 

Granger had gone with Rogers to seek out Romanoff, while Tony had made some emergency repairs to his suit so that he could at least get himself back to Stark Tower. Within twenty minutes, they had all left the helicarrier along with a recently Loki-free Hawkeye. 

Tony wouldn’t exactly call the journey smooth but at least he made it to Manhattan in one piece. 

“Selvig’s set up shop on the roof,” he told Granger, glancing over the machine and various cables that were attached to the Tesseract.

“Understood,” came the response in his ear. They had agreed that it would be safest to team up. That’s what this whole ‘Avengers’ thing was supposed to be all about, after all. She had been a passenger on the jet that Barton was flying but, a second later, he saw her materialise next to Selvig, who didn’t seem overly surprised to see her there.

“Sir, I’ve turned off the arc reactor but the device is already self-sustaining,” J.A.R.V.I.S announced. Granger set him a worried glance and pointed her wand at Selvig.

“If that’s true then there’s nothing I can do to stop the cube now,” Granger told him disconsolately. “Its energy and my magic really don’t get on.”

That wasn’t good news. “Shut it down, Dr Selvig,” Tony called, causing the astrophysicist to turn towards him.

“It’s too late!” Selvig shouted happily. “She can’t stop now. She wants to show us something.” He walked towards the Tesseract, a mixture of awe and ecstasy on his face. “A new universe.” 

“OK,” Tony muttered sarcastically, not in the mood for Selvig’s blue-eyed wonderment. He’d just have to shut it down himself. He raised his arms, palms facing the Tesseract. 

“ _ No! _ ” Granger cried at him desperately, but it was too late to stop the blasts coming from his suit. A large, almost transparent sphere appeared for a second, protecting the cube, and then a huge wave of energy surged from it, forcing Tony to somersault backwards in mid-air. He looked back at the Tesseract but was unsurprised to see that it remained unaffected. 

“The barrier is pure energy,” J.A.R.V.I.S commented. “It’s unbreachable.” 

“Yeah, I got that.” 

Tony spotted Selvig, unconscious on the floor but there was no sign of Granger. He called her name and flew around the roof. She hadn’t been blasted over the edge, had she? 

A moment later, relief swept through him when a small, dark falcon that he easily recognised soared up from the below, with what Tony would definitely describe as an angry cry. Granger landed back on the roof and transformed into her human form, complete with scowl. 

Tony held his hands up apologetically. “At least we now know that’s not an option.” 

“Definitely,” she agreed. 

“And we’ve managed to catch the attention of your not-so-secret admirer,” Tony said, noticing Loki slightly further below them on the balcony. “Ready for a Plan B?” 

Her eyes darkened at the mention of the Asgardian and she nodded stiffly. “I’ll fill in the others then I’ll be right down.” 

“Sir, the Mark VII is not ready for deployment,” J.A.R.V.I.S warned as Tony lowered himself to his special landing platform.

“Then skip the spinning rims,” he instructed, “we’re on the clock.” 

The hydraulics whirred and clicked around him as they dismantled his battered suit, but he didn’t move his gaze from the slimy trickster a few yards away. They mirrored each other’s movements as they entered the top floor of Stark Tower from opposing entrances. 

“Please tell me you’re going to appeal to my humanity,” Loki said, almost scathingly. 

“Uh, actually, I’m planning to threaten you,” Tony replied lightly. 

“You should have left your armour on for that,” Loki pointed out, a smirk twisting his lips.

“Yeah,” Tony agreed walking down the stairs to the bar, “but it’s seen a bit of mileage and you’ve got the, er, Glow Stick of Destiny. Would you like a drink?”

Loki smiled widely. “Stalling me won’t change anything.”

“No, no, no, threatening,” Tony corrected. “No drink? Are you sure? I’m having one.”

“The Chitauri are coming,” Loki reminded him, turning to look out on the Manhattan skyline. “Nothing will change that. What have I to fear?”

“The Avengers,” Tony replied simply, pulling the stopper out of the decanter. “That’s what we call ourselves,” he clarified at Loki’s bemused expression. “We’re sort of like a team. ‘Earth’s mightiest heroes’ – type thing,” he said, casually pouring himself the aforementioned drink.

“Yes, I’ve met them,” Loki grinned, obviously not intimidated by them or their new name.

“Yeah,” Tony let out a short breath of laughter, “It takes us a while to get any traction, I’ll give you that one. But let’s do a head count here: your brother, the demigod,” Loki grimaced and turned away, allowing Tony to covertly slip the Mark VII homing bracelets onto each wrist. “A sorceress who I suspect has only shown us a small percentage of her abilities, a super soldier – a living legend who kind of lives up to the legend, a man with  _ breath-taking _ anger management issues, a couple of master assassins and  _ you _ , big fella. You’ve managed to piss off every single one of them.” 

Loki smirked confidently. “That was the plan.”

Tony frowned. “Not a great plan,” he pointed out, taking a sip of his drink before walking towards Loki. “When they come, and they will, they’ll come for you.” 

“I have an army,” Loki said, unfazed by Tony’s words.

“We have Hermione,” Tony replied, raising his glass in the direction of the young woman who had just entered the room, wand at the ready. Loki’s smirk widened when he saw her. 

“How nice of you to join us, Agent Granger,” Loki greeted, looking wickedly pleased. He took a couple of steps towards her but she tightened her grip on her wand.

“Stay where you are,” she warned sharply, her eyes glancing warily at his sceptre. 

He raised his empty hand, palm up, in a pacifying gesture. “As you wish, my dear.” He turned back to Tony with an enquiring eyebrow. “Had you finished your threats?” 

Tony rolled his shoulders slightly, feeling that he’d lost the flow a little, but he pressed on. “You’re missing the point. There is  _ no _ throne. There’s  _ no _ version of this where you come out on top.  _ Maybe _ your army comes and  _ maybe _ it’s too much for us, but it’s  _ all _ on you. Because if we can’t protect the Earth, you can be damned well sure we’ll avenge it.” 

Loki’s mood was severely dampened, his gaze cold. “How will your friends have time for me when they are so busy fighting  _ you _ ?” He turned his head on the last word and glared at Granger. Her eyes widened and she stared at Tony in alarm. 

“ _ Go! _ ” he urged as Loki imperiously advanced on her, the tip of his spear glinting menacingly. But Granger suddenly fell to her knees, whimpering and holding a hand to her head. 

“You  _ really _ shouldn’t have made that connection between our minds,” Loki told her lightly, almost like a school teacher pointing out a pupil’s mistake. “It gave me just the in that I was hoping for to work my own tricks.”

“J.A.R.V.I.S any time now,” Tony muttered with a sense of dread as Loki’s face twisted and he viciously pulled Granger to her feet by her hair. She whimpered again, eyes shut tight, but a few tears still trickled down her cheeks. 

“Hey!” Tony objected, hurrying forward to try and protect her. Loki released her and she crumpled back to the floor, but he paid no mind as he launched Tony across the room with minimal effort. From where he landed on the floor, Tony watched as the part of the wall that stored the Mark VII slid open, but it was moving far too slow for his liking. The blue energy in Loki’s sceptre glowed more brightly and Granger, seemingly unable to move due to the pain in her head, was helpless to prevent Loki from placing the tip against her chest… 

The Mark VII burst across the room, knocking Loki off his feet, and wrapped itself around Tony thanks to the homing bracelets. He hurried forwards as the final pieces clicked into place and pulled Granger to her feet, shaking her slightly so that she’d open her eyes. “Come on, Hermione,” he muttered urgently, panic rushing through his body. If Loki had turned her, things had gotten a thousand times worse. Her eyelids fluttered then opened. 

Icy, blue irises peered back at him. 

“Fuck.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliffhanger! In fairness, it has been a while since I dropped one on you. Hope you enjoyed the chapter and are all keeping safe.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just like we had a warning for bad language at the end of last chapter, we have one for the beginning too. I feel like the situation necessitates it! :)

_ Fuckity, fuck, fuck, fuck! _

Acting quickly, Tony yanked Granger’s wand from her hand and snapped it in half – family heirloom or not, he couldn’t afford for her to completely dismantle his suit with a single spell, like she had on their first meeting. 

She apparated away from him to the other side of the room, which was smart of her because Tony had been about to deliver a rather hefty blow to her head to try and force out Loki’s influence, as Romanoff had done with Barton. The problem with that plan was that Granger was capable of some serious hopping about – it would be almost impossible to get a hold of her long enough to knock her out. 

Loki rose to his feet, having been forced over by the deployment of the Mark VII, and took in Granger’s changed eye colour with glee. Tony reassured himself that at least without her wand, her threat-level was severely reduced…

“I see you’ll be needing this back,” Loki said to her, tossing something through the air which she caught easily. Tony looked in shock between the broken wand in his hand and the one Granger was twirling fondly between her fingers. She had  _ two _ wands?! How had he failed to notice that the one she’d been using the last couple of days quite clearly wasn’t made of vinewood? He didn’t waste time to find out the details, choosing instead to power up and launch himself out of the closest window. There were times to stay and fight, and times to run away. This situation was definitely the latter.

“You didn’t think you were going to get away that easily, did you?” Granger’s voice said in his ear as he arced through the sky. Some sort of sixth sense made him look backwards and he saw that there was yet another nasty surprise; he didn’t understand how (he never did where she was concerned) but Granger had turned herself into strange silvery-smoke and she was having no trouble in keeping up with him. The vital question was whether or not she could still shoot spells at him while doing her best meteor impression. A flash of red light flew past an inch from his shoulder: question answered.

Tony increased his speed, hoping to shake her off. “A little help would be appreciated, J.A.R.V.I.S,” he pointed out, weaving between buildings. Unfortunately, he could see in the reflections of the windows that she was still on his tail. 

“Miss Granger and I – ” J.A.R.V.I.S began but Tony cut him off angrily.

“I don’t care what promise you made with her - she’s trying to  _ kill _ me! Surely that takes precedence over any pre-existing agreements!” 

“Point ceded, sir,” J.A.R.V.I.S replied and new information about Granger started showing up before Tony’s eyes, allowing him to jerk out of the way of another spell. He flipped over and sent a burst of energy at her which she avoided easily.

A large beam of blue light erupted from the top of Stark Tower, and an ethereal black portal emerged high above the city. Instantly, figures started journeying through it. 

“Right, army,” Tony reminded himself, the Chitauri having slipped from his mind in the last few minutes. He flew towards the invaders to get his first glimpse of the enemy, but focused most of his concentration on avoiding Granger’s magic. 

The aliens were big, ugly brutes, riding serious hover vehicles that probably would’ve made Marty McFly outrageously jealous. Tony released the small missiles that were stored in his suit’s shoulder, watching with satisfaction as various Chitauri warriors disappeared in flames, but there were many more who streamed past unaffected. He swerved between the destruction, hoping to avoid Granger in the melee. 

“Any sign of her?” Tony asked J.A.R.V.I.S as he couldn’t detect any trace himself.

“None, sir, Miss Granger has gone.” 

For some reason that made Tony more anxious than when she was right behind him. 

“Tony’s been turned! Tony’s been turned!” her panicked voice cried in his ear. “Cut all communication with him at once!” 

“No, wait! It’s not me,” he yelled, realising that she was talking to Romanoff, Barton and Rogers in the quinjet. “It’s Granger who’s been Loki-fied.” 

“What the  _ hell _ is going on?” Romanoff’s voice snapped at them. 

He and Granger immediately launched into their accusations about each other and Tony mentally kicked himself for not warning the others earlier. He really needed to get a handle on this ‘team’ thing. 

“Shut up, both of you,” Rogers ordered, and in frustration, Tony shot energy at a couple of Chitauri warriors that were following him.

“Don’t you think Granger would have been able to take care of me in milliseconds if _I_ was the one that was compromised?” Tony pointed out, swerving to avoid Chitauri fire. 

“He threw me off Stark Tower before I got a chance!” Granger lied in response. 

“Open the video link,” Tony suggested, “you’ll see my eyes are clear of that lunatic’s spell.” 

“Yeah, right,” Granger scoffed. “Like  _ you _ can’t manipulate the image to show them exactly what you want to see. Look, the portal’s opened and the Chitauri are coming through fast. I’m going to take care of Tony and then I’ll be able to help.”

“This is a nightmare,” Natasha muttered, glancing at Clint and Rogers, who wore matching troubled expressions. “We’re just heading up Park now, so I guess we’ll soon see who’s telling the truth.” She cut communications to both Stark and Granger and let out an irritated sigh. “God, I hope Stark’s the one that’s lying.” 

“Same here,” Barton muttered, eyes fixed ahead, “otherwise we’re totally screwed.” 

“Is there no way to stop her?” Rogers asked in alarm. 

“What, without killing her?” Natasha responded dourly and he balked at the lengths they’d potentially have to go. “And even that would be difficult enough.” She scowled at the beam of blue light that was coming from the cube. Man, she hated that thing – and Loki too. She’d nearly lost Clint,  _ had _ lost Coulson, and now there was big uncertainty where Granger was concerned… 

People died – that was a fact of life, and you saw a lot more of it when you worked as an operative. At a quite early age, Natasha had lost count of the number of deaths she’d been witness to, but this assignment was different: Clint, Coulson and Granger weren’t just colleagues, they were her friends. Loki had made a big mistake making this thing so personal. She was going to make him pay. 

Madison Square Park had just sped by on their left when a purple light swept through the quinjet and everything shut off at once – including the twin engines that had been keeping them airborne. 

“Shit,” Clint muttered, as he and Natasha feverishly started trying to get things started again. “It’s Granger all right.” 

The jet started plummeting to the ground. “Stark, we’re going down!” Steve yelled, “Hermione’s wiped the electricity!”

“I’m on it!” Tony replied instantly but Steve had a feeling it would be too late. “Evacuate?” he suggested to the others as the ground came rapidly closer. 

“I can’t get the rear door to open!” Natasha replied. 

Steve staggered to the cockpit and tried to forcefully kick the front window out to give them an exit, but the material was too strong even for him.

“Brace yourself!” Barton warned, the street barely fifty feet away. 

A shudder went through the jet and its trajectory levelled out slightly. 

“Told you I was on it,” Tony’s voice said in their ears, though he sounded a little strained. “Get ready for a slightly less bumpy landing than you were about to have ten seconds ago.”

The quinjet bounced along Park Avenue a few times, before coming to a rest a couple of blocks away from Stark Tower. 

“Well, that’s one way to make an entrance,” Barton muttered, removing his headset and unstrapping himself from the seat. 

“Good teamwork, Avengers,” Hermione praised in their ears, making them pause. “Are you ready for round two? It would be a shame to keep you three cooped up in that jet, after all.” 

They shared uneasy glances. “What does she m – ” Steve began to ask before Hermione appeared in the jet, grabbed hold of him and disapparated again. 

The next thing he knew, Steve was back, hundreds of feet above Manhattan, free-falling to the ground. 

“Corner of Forty-fifth and Lexington, Tony,” he could just about hear Granger’s teasing voice with the wind howling past him. “Better hurry up!” 

Steve tightened his grip on his shield. It wouldn’t be able to save him from a fall at this height, but it was comforting to know that it was with him all the same.

A silver smoke streamed next to him. “Don’t worry, he’ll save you,” Hermione’s voice shouted at him from the smoke, and he realised that she was flying in her own bizarre, magical way. “This was me giving Tony a bit of an easy start. See, here he comes.” Smoky-Hermione disappeared and Steve saw Stark’s suit racing towards him. 

“I’ve got you, Cap,” Tony said as he plucked him out of the sky.

“Put me on the nearest roof,” Steve urged. “Hermione said I was the easy start.” 

“Damn,” Tony muttered, but duly did as suggested, before zooming off again. 

“Bryant Park!” Granger announced breezily and Tony altered his course. “It had to be somewhere a bit less built up because I have no doubt Barton would’ve used one of his fancy arrows to save himself.” 

“I could do without the running commentary,” Tony replied in a forcibly light tone. He couldn’t let Granger see how frustrated he was getting by her ‘game’. All the time he was swooping around trying to catch members of his team, nothing was being done to stop Loki or the advancing Chitauri. 

Tony homed in on Bryant Park and he saw that Barton was a lot closer to the ground than either of them would like; Granger must have dropped him from a lesser height than Rogers. 

“Come on,” Tony muttered, urging the suit to go faster, even though he knew he was already moving at maximum speed. The people frantically running away from the Chitauri didn’t even notice the man falling from the sky. Tony reached out and prevented Barton’s demise just a few yards from the ground. 

“Can’t stop,” Tony yelled, tossing Barton gently to the grass then flying away. 

A loud groan reverberated all around him and he looked up to the portal in trepidation. A huge beast emerged. The only way Tony could describe it was as a cross between a whale and an alligator but on a gargantuan scale. 

Things were very quickly getting out of hand.

“Don’t let that beast distract you, Tony,” Granger said, bringing him back to their sick game of ‘catch’, “Natasha’s about to be impaled on the spire of the Chrysler Building.” He quickly spotted the falling figure of Agent Romanoff and felt confident that he’d have enough time to save her. “Or you can save the little child that’s about to make a rather nasty stain on Rockefeller Plaza.” 

Tony clenched his jaw but didn’t alter his path from the summit of the Chrysler Building. She was bluffing, she had to be…

“What, no reaction?” Granger mocked. “No hilarious, sarcastic comment?” 

“I’m a little busy,” he bit out angrily. A silver and red figure that Tony was only too happy to see, raced through the sky on an intercept course with Romanoff. Tony altered his path to Rockefeller Centre, knowing that Thor would see the agent safely back to the ground. He was still confident that Granger was lying about the child, but he had to go to make sure. He swerved between a trio of Chitauri hover vehicles, blasting them as he went. 

Rockefeller Plaza looked reasonably normal when you ignored the masses of screaming, terrified people, but there was definitely no one plummeting to the earth. And that’s when he realised it was a trap. 

He tried to fly out of the plaza, but he got twenty feet off the ground before his suit slammed into an invisible barrier. He blasted energy at it with his suit and, although it didn’t violently rebound at him like the Tesseract had, it didn’t show any sign of breaking either. 

“I don’t know if any of you can hear me,” Tony said, hoping the rest of his team could, “but Granger’s got me contained and out of action for the moment…” 

Across Midtown, Thor had returned Agent Romanoff to the ground just outside Stark Tower and both were entirely unaware of Tony’s misfortune. 

“Allow me to take on the Sorceress,” Thor suggested. 

Natasha pulled a pistol from her holster and arched an eyebrow at him. “Rather you than me,” she shrugged. “Good luck finding her.” 

“Do not concern yourself - she’ll find me,” he promised, before leaping into the air and taking out one of the Chitauri hover vehicles with one swipe of his enormous hammer as he went. 

Thor realised that only a year ago he would be thoroughly enjoying his time, striking down enemy after enemy and narrowly avoiding danger at every turn. He almost missed his younger self, for that Thor had not cared about the consequences, didn’t consider what pain and sorrow could occur at a moment’s notice… 

He paused on the roof of one of the tall buildings and held  Mjølnir aloft, summoning the elements. He directed lightning into the sky, watching with little joy as various Chitauri vessels burst into flames and the heavens echoed with thunder. 

“Thunderstorms often used to scare me as a child,” a female voice commented behind him, causing Thor to turn to face her: the Sorceress. It was unnerving to see the iciness that now emanated from Hermione’s eyes, as opposed to the warm, kind brown they’d once been. She seemed perfectly calm despite the battle that raged around them.

“Do they scare you still?” he asked and the look she sent him was even colder than her previous gaze. 

“No.” 

Thor leapt up to avoid the many bright flashes of magic that she abruptly directed his way. He knew that his main hope of overcoming Hermione was his belief that her magic would be less effective on his Asgardian body. If it wasn’t, then this could be a very short fight. 

A blue light streaked towards Thor’s chest. He held  Mjølnir out to protect himself and, thankfully, the spell was deflected. Hermione ducked away from her rebounded spell with a look of surprise on her face. It seemed that she hadn’t anticipated that Mjølnir would be immune to her magic. 

He threw the hammer at her – not hard enough to kill her should it make contact, but certainly enough to rid her of Loki’s influence. His eyes widened as she flew away from where she’d been standing in the form of a light coloured smoke, only to reappear a few feet away. Unfortunately, with his hammer gone it now meant he was unable to deflect her spells. Thor leapt again, holding out his hand to summon  Mjølnir back, but one of her spells struck his left temple, eliciting a sharp cut, and another caused him to feel a crack in his right hand. He had a strong suspicion that, had he been human, his injuries would be a lot more severe.

“Remember who you  _ are _ ,” he urged as he landed behind her, “not who Loki wants you to be.” 

Hermione laughed. “Your appeals to my better nature are as  _ wasted _ on me as they are your brother. The portal is open and the Chitauri are here – there is nothing you can do.” 

He threw the hammer again, more quickly this time. A thick metal wall suddenly blocked  Mjølnir’s path, leaving a large dent in the conjured obstruction. Obviously, there were some magical incantations his enchanted hammer couldn’t breach. He walked forwards, summoning it back to his hand. The next thing he knew, the ends of the wall had closed around him like the jaws of a great metallic beast and they squeezed him tightly, trapping him in their embrace. He roared, trying to free himself, but he was completely immobile from the neck down. Not even Mjølnir could help him when it was imprisoned so securely against his body. 

“Good luck trying to escape,” Hermione commented lightly. “The sticking charm I used to join the edges is permanent.”

Thor yelled again, straining with all his might… 

Clint bent his knees slightly, lowering his centre of gravity, which was not easy to do when you were standing on an enormous alien beast that was flying through Midtown on a mission of destruction. He’d quickly seen from the ground that the creature’s body was covered in a natural, thick armour that he had no chance of breaching with arrow or bullet, so he’d fought his way to a good vantage point and taken a flying leap onto its back. There had to be a weak spot somewhere; he just had to find it,  _ quickly _ . 

He’d just destroyed a Chitauri hover vehicle that was intent on blasting him out of existence when he saw her - Granger - watching over proceedings from the top of Grand Central Terminal. She was standing between the statues of Mercury and Minerva, looking almost insignificant amongst the large sculptures. She hadn’t seen him, he was sure of that, so he selected the sedative laced arrow tip he’d used on her a couple of days ago, aimed for half a second, then fired. 

He watched its trajectory with bated breath. They hadn’t heard from Stark or Thor in the last few minutes and Clint could only presume that Granger had overcome them in some form or other. She wasn’t a killer (that was well known to anyone in S.H.I.E.L.D who knew her) but he knew better than anyone what the influence of the Tesseract could do to someone’s mind. 

The arrow sailed straight through her. He realized that Granger had obviously taken a leaf out of Loki’s book as her image flickered out of existence.

“You’ve really got a thing about shooting me, haven’t you?” an amused voice said behind him and he turned in time to see Hermione’s foot connect with his ribs, launching him into the air. 

Clint reached out as he fell, just managing to cling on to the railing on the Park Avenue viaduct to prevent his death. He hung there for a moment, slightly winded. “I’ve just seen Granger,” he gasped, hauling himself over the barrier. He didn’t know who was still around to hear him, but he wanted all those that were to be aware. “She kicked me off the giant beast outside Grand Central.” 

“What did you expect me to do?” Granger asked, landing next to him with a popping sound. “You tried to shoot me again.” 

Clint struck out at her with his fist, hoping to keep her busy enough that she wouldn’t have time to use her magic. It was a desperate hope but it was also all he could think of doing. He was far stronger than her when it came to physical combat, despite the many months of training she’d had from Natasha. All it would take was one timely punch…

Steve heard Clint and Hermione’s conversation and felt his already dampened spirits deflate even more. He had a horrible feeling that she had been dismantling their team one by one. 

The only upside was that he was already close by, having raced his way down Lexington and along Forty-second once Stark had dropped him off on some random roof. The carnage the Chitauri were unleashing on New York was extreme, but he’d barely seen a civilian on the streets, which was something positive to cling on to. 

He leapt onto an abandoned taxi cab, then onto the viaduct outside the train terminal and cast his eyes along the roadway, seeking out Barton and Hermione. A couple of Chitauri warriors appeared next to him and he wasted little time in knocking them to the ground while continuing his search. He spotted them a few yards away, engaged in a physical fight, arms and legs sparing quickly. Steve didn’t understand why she would waste her time like that when she could surely defeat Barton in a second with her magic. 

Steve ran forwards and sensed something coming towards him from behind. He turned, poised to attack, but saw it was Agent Romanoff. She sent him a grim nod but then the sound of a gun firing made them look at their colleagues in alarm. 

“Now we’re even,” Hermione said simply as Barton fell to the floor, clutching his left shoulder. She must have removed his weapon from its holster mid-fight. She tossed the gun into the air and sent a spell after it, making it explode into a thousand tiny pieces. 

She glanced up then and saw them, showing no reaction to the sight of her friends. An assortment of spells flew in their direction. Steve raised his shield and ducked behind a car, watching in dismay as a red light struck Natasha on the chest and she fell to the ground, hopefully only unconscious. 

Was that it? Was he now the last one standing? 

Steve felt the car he was crouching behind, shudder slightly and he leapt away from it just before it was blasted violently across the road by one of Hermione’s spells. A motorbike careened towards him and he had no choice but to jump off the viaduct down to the street below. She appeared a few feet away from him with a cracking noise and he immediately raised his shield to protect himself from the onslaught of magic. He was reasonably confident that the vibranium would keep him safe from offensive spells, but he had no idea whether the same would be true if Hermione tried to shrink it down to miniscule size or a similar non-threatening form of magic. 

He sensed, rather than saw, her apparate behind him to try and catch him off guard, and he turned just in time so that her spell ricocheted away, shattering the windows of a restaurant under the roadway. 

A bus, mercifully free of any passengers, sped towards him. There was no time to dive out of the way as he was trapped by the roof of the viaduct, the restaurant behind him and the large vehicle that was bearing down on him. With no other resort, he leapt through the broken windows of the diner. Glass, masonry and furniture flew all around him as the bus crashed into the wall a split second after he’d cleared it. 

Despite the sounds of the battle that was raging just outside, Steve could still hear her gentle footsteps as she traversed the rubble and ruin inside the diner. He was buried under half a dozen chairs and tables, but that was definitely to his advantage because he still had a somewhat limited view of the restaurant and he was confident that she hadn’t seen him. 

There was a familiar cracking noise and he frowned in surprise because Hermione hadn’t disappeared like the sound had suggested. 

“That’s enough, Hermione,” an unfamiliar voice said. 

Steve’s eyes widened in amazement as a young man stepped cautiously into view. He had messy, black hair, glasses and he was definitely holding a wand like Hermione’s in his hand…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And you thought last chapter's cliffie was mean. ;) 
> 
> Keep safe everyone!


	18. Chapter 18

Hermione laughed when she saw the new arrival, while Steve’s mind whirled at the revelation of another person capable of magic. Hermione had never told him that she was the only one like herself, but the way everyone acted around her had certainly given him that impression.

“Come to stop me, Harry?” she asked patronisingly. “Good luck - thanks to the Tesseract, I’ve never felt more at one with my magic.”

Steve saw that the young man, Harry, reacted grimly to these words. “I don’t want to hurt you,” he said. 

“I’d like to see you try,” she scoffed confidently. 

The room was suddenly lit with flashes from both wands and Steve was forced to close his eyes to protect them from the brightness. The ground shook with the sheer power of their magic. More rubble and shards of brick and glass pinged around him as the ricochets of their spells caused small explosions. Even though he was buried under the wreckage of the diner, Steve could still sense that the air was practically humming with the energy they were launching at each other. 

“Hermione,  _ please _ , I’m your best friend!” Harry cried above the din. “Does that mean  _ nothing _ to you?” 

“What use would I have of friends?” she replied, sounding almost puzzled. Steve took advantage of the pause in their spell-casting to open his eyes. He watched Harry take a couple of tentative steps forwards. 

“You and I know better than anyone what can be achieved with a friend at your side,” he said gently. “I would never have destroyed the horcruxes if it hadn’t been for you – I wouldn’t have even made it through my first year at school!” 

Steve could quite clearly see that Harry’s words were having little effect on her; the unnervingly icy eyes remained resolute. “Cancel the anti-disapparition wards,” she ordered coldly. 

“Why? So you can go back and wreak more havoc on this city?” Harry countered. Steve could tell by the man’s defeated demeanour and the way his eyes kept searching Hermione’s face, that Harry was extremely upset by the change in his ‘best friend’. 

“Fine,” she replied testily, placing a hand on her hip. “I’ll get out the hard way.” And so the intense magical battle resumed. 

Steve carefully started to shift the debris on top of him, anxious that he not be noticed by Hermione. He couldn’t be sure, but he assumed that an ‘anti-disapparition ward’ stopped her from disapparating. That might just be the key in stopping her – as long as this other magical person kept her occupied for long enough. However, that might be a problem because from what Steve could see amid the dazzling bursts of light, Hermione appeared to have the upper hand in their duel. 

Steve inhaled deeply and tensed his muscles in preparation. With an almighty heave, he burst free of the rubble, somersaulting through the air towards Hermione. Given his position in her peripheral vision, she didn’t have time to react when he brought his shield swiftly down across her skull as he landed. Her eyes instantly rolled shut, but he managed to reach out and grab her before she hit the floor. Instead, he laid her down gently, letting out a breath of pure relief.

Harry ran over to them. “Is she all right?” he asked worriedly, grabbing her hand. 

“She should be fine,” Steve replied. “Hopefully the Tesseract’s influence will be gone when she wakes.”

“Thank, Merlin,” Harry muttered, “I couldn’t have held her off for much longer.” 

Steve stared at the man, unable to stay his curiosity. He didn’t have much difficulty in believing that Harry and Hermione were friends given the anxiousness in his features. Harry seemed to sense his gaze because he looked up at Steve with a frown. 

“I guess I’m rather a contradiction to her story,” he said.

Steve shook his head. “She wouldn’t tell me anything about herself.” 

Harry’s frown deepened. “Why?” 

“I got the impression that she didn’t want to lie to me.” 

Harry’s intense gaze was making Steve highly uncomfortable. “Interesting,” Harry said quietly. “Well, if Hermione trusts you then I’m going to do the same. If you were anyone else, I’d modify your memory so that you’d never remember me but it might be useful to have someone in the know.” 

“Uh, sure,” Steve replied, not really understanding what he was talking about. 

“When she wakes, it’s likely that she won’t recall our duel and that’s probably for the best,” Harry continued, getting back to his feet. “Don’t tell her I was here, it might distract her from defeating Loki with the rest of your team and we can’t afford for anyone else to find out.” 

Steve also rose, shaking his head. “I’m not going to lie to her.”

“Just tell her you knocked her out - that’s not a lie,” Harry pointed out. “It’s for the best, believe me.” 

Steve still wasn’t particularly happy about the deception. “Can you not stay and fight the Chitauri? We could really use your help, whether it goes against Hermione's story or not.”

“Don’t worry, I’m staying,” Harry replied, “but you’ll have a hard time seeing any of us.”

Steve’s eyes widened in surprise. “ _ Us? _ How many of you are there?”

“Enough,” he said simply. “How do you think Loki and his army hasn’t managed to annihilate the city yet?”

Steve balked at that statement. He hadn’t seen a single magical person other than Hermione during his exploits in Midtown. If these people were truly helping to maintain the situation, they could probably defeat Loki’s army easily…but apparently they were reluctant to let themselves be seen doing so. “Your secrecy is really that important to you?” he asked in amazement. 

Harry shrugged. “It’s not my call to make.” Then he promptly disapparated. 

Steve looked at the spot he’d disappeared from in both dismay and rejuvenated optimism. Their odds of defeating Loki had now greatly increased but, he looked down at Hermione, these magical people were extremely vexing.

* * *

Hermione woke with a cry and looked around herself in alarm. She was lying in the middle of a Manhattan street, sheltered between a yellow taxi cab and a minivan. Steve and Barton were looking at her cautiously. 

“What happened?” she asked urgently. “How did you stop me? I- I don’t remember anything after…” she gasped and her eyes zeroed in on Clint’s bloodied shoulder. “Oh, Merlin. I shot you!” She scampered over to him, legs still slightly shaky, and noticed Natasha lying motionless next to him. “She, she’s not – ”

“Agent Romanoff is simply unconscious,” Steve interrupted, putting a pause to Hermione’s panic. “You hit her with a red spell.”

Hermione swallowed thickly in relief and pointed her trembling wand at Natasha, reviving her, before wasting no time in focusing on Barton. She summoned blood replenishing and pain relief potions from her magical pocket, which he took from her without any objections. “I’m so sor-” 

“Save it,” Barton said curtly, between downing the liquids, as Natasha stirred next to them. “You and I both know it’s not your fault. Just fix my shoulder so I can kill some of these bastards.” 

Hermione nodded, relieved to see some colour returning to his pale cheeks. 

A Chitauri hover vehicle zoomed past, firing at them. Hermione sent a blasting hex after it and found herself unconcerned when it blew apart. 

“We’ll give you some cover,” Steve suggested, pulling Natasha to her feet. “It’s good to have you back, Hermione.” 

“Yeah, blue eyes really weren’t a good look on you,” Natasha joked but Hermione could detect the warmth in her tone. They climbed onto the taxi and Hermione forced herself to forget about the battle that was raging around them.

“How long has it been since I shot you?” she asked Barton, probing the bullet wound with her wand. 

“About twenty minutes,” he answered. “You can heal me, right?”

Hermione nodded. “The bullet has fractured the upper part of your humerus bone. I’m going to have to –”

“I don’t care,” he interjected. “Just do it.” 

Hermione tried not to let his abrupt tone distract her. She expected Barton was very frustrated that he was unable to get his revenge on Loki, and she resolved to be as careful as possible in healing him – if she screwed up Hawkeye’s shoulder, there was a possibility he’d never be as effective in shooting his arrows anymore. 

The only good thing about her run-in with Loki was that she had her preferred wand back, and it was still much more powerful after its blast from the Tesseract. 

She was about to make an incision to make it easier for her to extract the bullet when the body of a Chitauri warrior suddenly landed on the ground next to them.

“Oops! Sorry about that,” Natasha yelled over her shoulder. Hermione set her jaw and re-focused. 

Two minutes later, Clint was rotating his arm to check that his shoulder was in working order. 

“How is it?” Hermione asked anxiously. “Will it do?” 

Barton reached behind him, retrieved an arrow from his quiver, and shot at a Chitauri vehicle that was soaring a hundred feet above them. The hover ship careened to the ground. 

“It’ll do,” he replied, but there was an amusement in his eyes suggesting that he didn’t hold anything against her. “Now, go and undo whatever you did to Stark and Thor.” 

Hermione nodded, guilt flooding her stomach. “I’ll be back soon,” she promised, before disapparating. 

She undid the powerful wards containing Tony the second she appeared in Rockefeller Plaza. “I’m sorry,” she said breathlessly. “Now go kick some Chitauri arse!” 

“Yes, ma’am!” Tony replied, shooting off into the sky. 

Freeing Thor was slightly more complicated, but not much. When she’d moulded the metal wall to contain the Asgardian, she’d joined the ends with a permanent sticking charm. However, there was nothing to stop her from slicing the thick metal open at another point. 

“Thank the All-Father you are here,” Thor cried when she appeared next to him. Judging by his sweat-drenched hair and red cheeks, he’d been straining to get free the entire time she’d been away.

“I’m going to cut you free,” she told him, considering a number of slicing and gouging hexes that should do the job. It took far longer than she would’ve liked but, after a couple of minutes, she’d made two thick incisions down the length of Thor’s metal container and she was able to pull it apart. 

“My brother will pay for all he has done,” Thor vowed to her, placing a comforting arm on her shoulder. 

“I certainly hope so,” she responded dryly. 

“Come,” he said gravely, “I fear this battle is far from over.”

“I’ll meet you down with the others,” she replied, indicating towards Grand Central terminal. 

She left again, relieved that the team was mostly together once more. All they were missing now was Bruce… 

The viaduct was crowded with Chitauri bodies when she arrived and a few others fell to the ground, electrocuted, as Thor touched down next to her. 

Steve nodded when he saw them both. “Good. Let’s re-evaluate the situation. Where do we stand with the cube?” 

“The power surrounding it is impenetrable,” Thor said grimly. 

“Thor’s right,” Tony’s voice spoke in their ear. “We gotta deal with these guys. Wisely or not, I’ve managed to attract the attention of the sumo-sized one. Wanna give me a hand, Granger?” 

“What about Loki?” she pointed out. 

“I have unfinished business with my brother,” Thor declared.

“Get in line,” Hermione and Barton said in unison.

“Save it,” Steve ordered, constantly scanning around for an approaching enemy. “Loki’s going to keep these things focused on us and that’s what we need: containment. Hermione, you and Stark take care of the big fella and - ” 

He paused as Hermione’s ringtone cut through the noise. She pulled it out, looking puzzled, but answered anyway. “Hello?”

“Hermione?” 

“ _ Bruce!” _ she gasped and everyone looked at her in surprise. “Where are you?” 

“I’m still in Vermont,” he muttered, sounding apologetic. “Has it started yet?” 

“Uh, yes, you could definitely say that,” Tony interjected and Hermione scowled.

“Get off the line, Tony!” she admonished.

“What? I’m trying to trace it so that you can pick him up,” he replied. “That’s why you phoned, right, Dr Banner?”

Bruce sighed. “Call me crazy, but, yes.” 

“Bruce, are you sure?” she asked gently. 

“Well, I can’t let you guys have all the fun, can I?” 

“Got him!” Tony crowed and passed on the coordinates to Hermione. 

“I take it Banner’s in?” Steve asked when she had hung up. 

“Yes, I’m just going to Vermont to get him,” she explained hurriedly. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

She disappeared and Steve looked over at Natasha in bewilderment. “Do you get used to hearing statements like that?” 

She nodded with a twisted smile. “Sort of.” 

True to her word, Hermione was almost instantly back with them, Bruce alongside her. She looked over at him worriedly. “Are you Ok?”

He nodded and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. “I’m fine.” 

“Welcome back, Dr Banner,” Steve greeted, while Bruce took in the devastation all around them. 

“So, this all seems…horrible,” he said simply.

“I’ve seen worse,” Natasha said, obviously referring to her encounter with the Hulk.

“I’m sorry,” Bruce replied.

“No, we could use a little ‘worse’,” she claimed.

“I’m sorry to interrupt this touching reunion,” Tony said in their ears, “but tell Banner to suit up – I’m bringing the party to you.” A loud crashing noise followed his words and they looked down Park to see Tony leading the huge beast towards them. 

“I don’t see how that’s a party,” Natasha commented dryly.

Bruce turned and started walking almost calmly towards his opponent.

Hermione gripped her wand tightly in preparation but Steve moved forwards anxiously. “Doctor Banner, now might be a really good time for you to get angry.” 

Bruce carried onwards and looked over his shoulder unconcernedly. “That’s my secret, Captain - I’m always angry.”

Hermione watched in fascination as he morphed into the Hulk: his clothes stretching and ripping, his skin changing into a dark green and his features becoming harder and squarer. The Hulk slammed his enormous fist into the monster’s helmet, halting its momentum almost instantly as its body rose into the air behind it. The armour all along its body buckled, revealing the flesh beneath. 

A curse was on the tip of Hermione’s tongue but she hesitated. This thing, whatever it was, was still a living creature. Yes, it was being used to create widespread destruction but did that really justify killing it? 

“Hold on!” Tony cried, zooming along to blast at the exposed skin. Hermione rapidly threw up a protective shield to guard her friends. The impact of the blast thundered ferociously against it, but the barrier held as the monster slid off the viaduct to the road below. 

The Chitauri warriors that clung to the walls of the skyscrapers around them screamed their rage at the beast’s death. 

“ _ What the hell was that _ ?” Natasha hissed at her as Hulk roared his defiance. “This is a war, Granger, there’s no time for your damn morals now – don’t you dare let Coulson down.” 

Hermione stared up at the screeching figures and felt her eyes sting at Natasha’s words. Phil would have done anything to protect the people of this world and he’d paid for that loyalty with his life. Would it really be so terrible of her to kill some aliens to save the innocent people of this city? 

She felt Tony land near her. Turning her head, Hermione realised that the seven of them had formed a circle against the Chitauri. She was part of a team now - she was an  _ Avenger _ . 

“If it helps, these things are more machine than anything,” Steve whispered from where he stood next to her. She initially felt embarrassed that he’d heard the conversation between herself and Natasha, but she took heart from what he’d said.

“Thank you,” she replied softly. “I think that does help.” 

There was a deep groan in the sky above them and she looked up to see two more huge beasts emerge from the portal. 

“Guys…” Natasha called, alerting everyone to the new arrivals.

“Call it, Captain,” Tony said and they all awaited his instructions. 

“All right, listen up,” Steve ordered. “Until we can close that portal, our priority is containment. Barton, I want you on that roof, eyes on everything. Call out patterns and strays. Stark, you got the perimeter. Anything gets more than three blocks out you turn it back or you turn it to ash.” 

“Can you give me a lift?” Barton asked, turning to Tony.

“Right. Better clench up, Legolas,” he answered, grabbing Barton and shooting up into the sky with him.

“Thor,” Steve continued, “you’ve gotta try and bottleneck that portal. Slow them down. You got the lightning. Light the bastards up.” Thor whipped his hammer round in a small circle a few times then flew off too. Steve turned to Natasha. “You and me, we stay here on the ground, keep the fighting here. Hulk…” The big guy grunted at him but Steve kept his cool. “Smash!” Hulk grinned and leapt up the side of the building, duly doing as commanded. “And Hermione,” he paused, appraising her.

“Give them hell?” she suggested. 

He nodded, the ghost of a smile flickering across his lips. “Couldn’t have put it better myself.” 

She disapparated to one of the roofs opposite Barton and surveyed the scene. Dozens of hover vehicles soared through the sky and more of the huge monsters were coming through the portal. Dark clouds suddenly formed and she watched in awe as a huge burst of electricity was aimed at the entryway, causing one of the creatures to explode. 

“Hey, Granger, are you just going to stand there and watch all day?” Barton said in her ear. “By my count, you’ve got a lot of catching up to do.” 

Hermione glanced over at him on the other side of Park. “You’ve been counting?” she scoffed. “Legolas really was a good nickname for you.” 

“Well, come on then, Gimli, get a move on,” he joked. “I’m up to twenty-one already.” 

Hermione took a deep breath. She could do this. 

Casting _Avada_ _Kedavra_ was completely out of the question, but there were other ways to defeat the Chitauri that didn’t involve cold blooded murder. She tried to reassure herself that _man_ slaughter wouldn’t even apply as these things weren’t even hu _man_. A couple of hover ships raced towards her, firing their weapons. 

_ Think of the game _ , she told herself as she erected a protective shield,  _ worry about the rest later _ . 

“ _ Confringo! _ ” she cried, forcing herself to actually say the words. An orange, fire-like burst of energy raced to the first ship, making it burst into flames. “ _ Bombarda Maxima _ !” The second vessel fell to the ground in ruins.

“Not bad, Granger,” Barton commented lightly. “That’s got you up to six already.” 

“Yeah… great,” she sighed. 

“Remember, each one you get is like ten kicks to Loki’s balls,” he said cheerfully, “and don’t tell me that’s not appealing.” 

Hermione chuckled despite the situation. “That’s a very good point.” She spotted a convoy of hover vehicles a couple of blocks over and flew off in pursuit. That’s right,  _ flew, _ in human form. The other good thing about Loki’s spell was that it had freed her mind to try magic she’d been too apprehensive to attempt before. The strange mixture of flight and apparition meant that she was able to move at high speed and still cast spells at the same time – something she couldn’t do in her animagus form. 

She flew through the half dozen ships, taking each one out in turn, picturing the expression on Loki’s face if he was watching. 

“I’m up to twenty-two now,” Hermione said as she took a breather on top of a brown brick building. 

“ _ Damn _ , you’re better at this than I thought,” Barton chuckled. “I’m only on twenty-eight.” 

“Try forty-six,” Tony added cockily, barging in on their conversation. “And I finished off the big one so that’s at least another twenty for me.”

“Nope, they only count as one,” Hermione corrected, “Everyone knows that.” 

“You only say that because you can’t take one out yourself,” he goaded. 

Hermione rolled her eyes even though neither of them could see. She flew off again, headed for the nearest large creature, but not missing the opportunity to destroy some Chitauri vessels on her way. 

She knew that the armour protecting the beast was strong but that didn’t necessarily mean that it would be impervious to her magic – just like Tony’s suits. With that in mind, she cast and maintained the same dismantling spell as she flew down the length of the creature’s body. She paused on top of a nearby building and watched the armour unlatch into different sections and fall to the ground. Unsurprisingly, her exploits had attracted a lot of attention from the Chitauri and she was forced to spend a few moments apparating from vessel to vessel, blasting each into wreckage. Hermione flew back down to the beast, knowing that it would only be cruel to let the beast roam around unprotected. She landed on its head and cast her strongest bombarding hex before she lost her nerve, then instantly apparated a fair few blocks away so she wouldn’t have to see what she’d done. 

“I stand corrected,” Tony admitted in her ear. “Twenty bonus points to you, Granger.” 

“We prefer to think of them as slaps to Loki’s face,” Barton pointed out, “with a mace.” Hermione got the impression that Clint had very much sensed her aversion to causing death and she was grateful that he was trying to keep her from losing her composure. 

“Forget the bonus points,” she said dismissively. “That takes me up to fifty-three.”

“Sixty-two,” Tony retorted. 

“OK, that’s it. I’m officially withdrawing from the competition,” Barton said grumpily. “You guys are too hardcore for me. May the best Avenger win.”

“Oh, it is  _ so _ on,” Tony crowed as he zoomed past her, beckoning jauntily as he did so. “Let’s get to work, J.A.R.V.I.S.”

Hermione shook her head at his antics. “How are things on the ground, Captain?” she asked, peering below. 

“Ah, it’s a bit busy,” came Steve’s breathless reply. “Natasha’s gone to have another look at closing the portal.” 

“ _ What? _ ” Hermione asked in alarm, concerned for her friend’s safety at attempting such a dangerous endeavour.

“Don’t worry, she’ll be fine,” he grunted. 

“All right,” she replied doubtfully, taking the opportunity to put a couple of hover ships out of action. “I’ll swing your way on my travels and free you up a bit.” She leapt off the building, deciding that she wasn’t going to take a break until she’d reached three figures. 

The buildings and streets were blurs in her vision as she sped around Midtown taking out enemies wherever she could find them. It was quite clear that her magic didn’t mix well with the Chitauri’s bodies, as was often the case when you paired it with technology, but this was much to her advantage. She looped a couple of times around the area that Steve was defending, leaving the place enemy-free, before spotting that one of the beasts was bearing down on the New York Public Library. She felt her anger rise and sped off in that direction, dismantling the creature’s armour as she went. Casting her strongest shielding charm over her favourite American building, Hermione shot flames at the beast, forcing it to turn away. Thor suddenly leapt onto the creature’s head and struck it forcefully with his hammer, electricity crackling through its body. 

She came out of flying-mode and fought on the ground for a moment to prevent herself from getting too tired. 

“Did I honestly just see you go out of your way to protect a  _ library _ ?” Tony asked in amazement. 

“Yes, you did,” she replied simply, not at all regretting her actions. 

“I’ve never seen such a commitment to old bits of paper,” he mocked but she didn’t care. What  _ did _ bother her were the dozen-odd Chitauri warriors that came sprinting towards her, weapons firing. There didn’t yet seem to be an end in sight to this army. Hermione really hoped that Natasha could find a way to shut down the portal soon: she couldn’t keep this level of combat up forever. 

Hermione flipped a trio of cars, one after the other, at the warriors, emotionally unmoved as she watched them get crushed under the metal. 

A deep roar resounded from a nearby rooftop and she turned, seeing at least twenty Chitauri hover ships firing rapidly on what could only be Hulk. She flew upwards, conscious not to get too close to him after she’d nearly drowned him a few hours ago, and rained spells at the Chitauri. A surprisingly forceful combined explosion propelled her backwards, and she had to twist in midair to apparate herself safely away from the building she was about to collide with.

“Granger, Stark, do you hear me?” Fury’s voice barked at her urgently as she appeared on the corner of 40 th and Madison. “You have a missile headed straight for the city.” 

Hermione felt her blood chill at his words. 

“How long?” Tony asked, sounding much calmer than she felt.

“Three minutes, max,” the Director replied grimly. “The payload will wipe out Midtown.” 

“Oh my God,” she breathed, staring round the city with wide eyes. 

“Chill, Granger, I’ve got this,” Tony stated confidently. 

Hermione saw him soar away to the South. “N-no, I can do something, I can, I can…”

“Have you ever tried mixing your magic with nuclear devices before?” he asked lightly.

“No, but –”

“Then now’s really not the time to start,” he stated firmly. 

She turned around in distress, angrily destroying a number of Chitauri that were homing in on her position. “What are you going to do?” she asked, fearing that she already knew that answer. 

“I can close it!” Natasha’s strained voice cut across their conversation. “Can anybody copy? I can shut the portal down.”

“Do it!” came Steve’s immediate response.

“No, wait!” Tony objected. 

“Stark, these things are still coming.”

“I got a nuke coming in,” Tony explained. “It’s going to blow in less than a minute and I know just where to put it.”

Hermione racked her brain for an alternative to Tony’s plan. If she acted quickly enough, there were a number of spells and charms she could try but… she realised with a sorrowful clench in her chest, Tony was right – it was just too risky.

She watched him get closer, the missile held tightly against his back, and struggled to think of anything to say to him that could possibly make the situation OK. 

“I-I got up to one hundred and thirty-three,” she choked out, her body trembling. 

“Damn, Granger, I’m only ninety-eight,” he replied. His tone was supposed to be light but she could hear his underlying fear. “Hey, how many bonus points do I get for this little jaunt?”

“A million and one,” she said softly as he raced up Park.

“All right, I’ll take that,” he said. “I’ll be back in a minute, kid.” The thrusters on his suit increased in power and he angled the trajectory steeply upwards, missing the surface of Stark Tower by inches. “I- I can’t get hold of Pepper,” he said quickly, as he soared ever closer to the portal. “Can you tell her for me –”

But whatever Tony wanted her to say, was abruptly cut off as he disappeared through the portal. Hermione let out a pained sob and then flew furiously after him, hoping against hope that there was still a chance that he’d come out alive. 

She looped around the portal opening…watching…waiting. 

After a few seconds, an intense white light bloomed in the portal’s depths but the joy at the destruction of the Chitauri was muted. Where was Tony? 

_ Accio Iron Man suit _ , she thought desperately, concentrating hard. She had no idea whether her magic would work in deep space but it was all she could think to do.  _ Come on, Tony _ , she thought as she continued to circle below the opening, refusing to relinquish the spell. 

The beam from the Tesseract vanished and Hermione watched in dismay as the portal started to close. 

Something red, gold and extremely heavy suddenly burst through and collided with her with enough force to jar her back into a solid form and daze her for a few seconds. 

“Hermione, what’s wrong?” Steve’s cut through her muddled brain and she realized that she and Tony were plummeting to the ground. The dead weight from the Iron Man suit was pinning her down. She couldn’t twist herself to apparate them away. 

“I- I  _ can’t _ ,” she groaned, heaving at the suit even as the tops of the skyscrapers whipped past them. 

The breath was knocked out of her as she was slammed to the side and a strong, muscular green arm wrapped around both her and Tony. Glass and rubble rained down on them as Hulk dragged his free hand down the side of the building to slow their momentum. He leapt away and Hermione croaked out a final, “ _ Spongify _ ,” to soften their landing as they bounced down onto her least favourite viaduct. 

Hulk pushed them both away and she rolled onto her knees, coughing and heaving. Going by the pain, she was pretty sure she had a couple of broken ribs, but she couldn’t care less at that moment. 

Thor and Steve hurried over to Tony, the former ripping off the mask of the suit. Hermione crawled closer to them, feeling panicky when Steve put his ear to Tony’s mouth. Steve’s eyes locked with hers when he raised his head, and she saw in them that he’d detected no sign of Tony breathing.

What was more, the pale blue light in Tony’s chest which indicated his arc reactor, was off.

“Can you do something?” Steve asked her. 

Hermione opened and closed her mouth, thinking rapidly. There wasn’t a wound or injury for her to heal; his body had stopped functioning to keep him alive. There was  _ no _ spell that could bring back life…

She looked at Steve with tear-rimmed eyes and shook her head minutely. He swallowed and laid a hand on her quivering shoulder.

Hulk bellowed, making her shudder, and Tony gasped awake. 

Hermione stared at him, wide-eyed, barely daring to believe what she was seeing. Hulk roared again in triumph and Tony looked around at them all in shock. “What the hell?” he panted. 

Hermione let out a strange half-sob, half-cry of delight and tried to wrap her arms around him. This was both very difficult to do (given his position on the ground) and rather uncomfortable (when he was encased in metal) but she was so relieved that she didn’t care. She couldn’t believe she’d nearly lost him.

“Woah, OK,” Tony muttered in response, before looking at the others. “What happened? Please tell me none of you kissed me.” 

“We won,” Steve panted, looking though he barely believed it. 

Tony leant his head back and closed his eyes for a moment in relief. “All right! Yay!” he said weakly. “Hurray! Good job, guys! Let’s just not come in tomorrow. Let’s just take a day...” He patted Hermione rather clumsily on the head. “Hey, Granger, if this suit develops any rust, you are getting a rather serious bill from me.” 

Hermione sat up and wiped the tears away from her cheeks with a grin, before leaning forward to plant a kiss between his eyebrows. He looked up at her almost cross-eyed. “Looks like the best Avenger won after all,” she said warmly, referring to their game.

“Please,” he scoffed modestly, “it was nothi- No, wait, I almost died,” he said seriously and then grinned at her. “I  _ am _ pretty awesome.”

She laughed and accepted a hand from Thor to help get to her feet.

“Have you ever tried shawarma?” Tony asked them, still lying on the ground. “There’s a shawarma joint about two blocks from here. I don’t know what it is but I want to try it.”

“We’re not finished yet,” Thor reminded them all and the mood dampened slightly as they thought of Loki.

“And then shawarma after?” Tony suggested.

* * *

The next day dawned the same as any other. In fact, Hermione would almost describe the morning as beautiful, were it not for the loathsome individual standing opposite her, waiting to be escorted back to Asgard. However, it seemed the rest of the world were not so willing to accept that life was going to go on as normal after the battle of New York - if you went by the news coverage that she’d seen when she’d grabbed some breakfast.

Countless individuals had come forward to be interviewed on television about what they had ‘seen’ take place. Hermione had her doubts that any of the interviewees were really witnesses to the battle for she hadn’t heard one of them recount anything that had actually taken place. What was more, there was little video evidence of the events. Apparently, all of the news cameras had suffered signalling errors soon after the portal had been opened. She was very relieved about this. The last thing she needed was a clip of her using magic to blow up aliens, and it would be even worse if they showed her when she’d been laying waste to Midtown whilst under Loki’s spell. They had been unable to hide the fact that Iron Man, Captain America and Hulk had been part of the battle, and somehow even the other names of Thor, Black Widow, Hawkeye and Sorceress had leaked out. Thankfully, she hadn’t even heard a whisper of the name ‘Hermione Granger’ amongst the coverage, and she reassured herself that there shouldn’t be a reason why she would – her identity had been well-protected within S.H.I.E.L.D.

Hermione watched as Dr Selvig lowered the Tesseract into the container that would see it safely to Asgard. She would  _ not _ be sorry to see the back of it.

She glanced over at Loki, and was disgruntled to see that he was staring at her again, as he had done ever since they’d converged at Central Park. It was different from the fascinated way he’d stared at her previously. Now, it was more like her was laughing at her. Someone had mercifully covered his mouth with a strange, metal contraption so she didn’t have to see the smirk he was pointing in her direction but, nevertheless, she knew it was there. She wondered why he was bothering. He was about to be sent back to face his father – there was nothing he could do anymore to hurt her. But the way his eyes appeared to laugh at her seemed to suggest otherwise. It was as though he knew something that she didn’t and, whatever it was, it couldn’t be good.

“Hey! Pack it in,” Steve snapped at Loki, becoming aware of the man’s gaze. Loki’s eyes shifted to Steve for a second, before crinkling with even more amusement as they refocused on Hermione.

“Would anyone object if I hit him?” Tony asked casually.

“ _ I _ won’t tell if  _ you _ don’t,” Barton answered dryly.

But Loki was saved from their wrath as Thor approached his brother, holding out the Tesseract container. With a final upwards twitch of his eyebrows at Hermione, Loki turned to his brother and reluctantly accepted the offered handle. Thor nodded at them all, twisted his handle, and the two brothers ascended into the sky in twin bursts of blue light.

Hermione let out a breath that she hadn’t realised she’d been holding. Natasha reached out an arm to her and Hermione hugged the other woman before she could distance herself. Natasha tensed for a moment, then embraced her back.

“He’d be so proud of you,” Natasha said quietly.

Hermione felt her throat constrict at the thought of Phil and she blinked quickly to rid herself of the tears that threatened to fall.

“Thank you,” she whispered in response, pulling away.

Barton walked up to her, a thoughtful expression on his face. “So, do I still hold the all-comers record against you?” he asked. “I mean, I know that bastard had us on the run for a few days but I shot you. That’s got to count for something, right?”

“You snuck up on me when my back was turned,” she pointed out, surprising herself by being able to talk about the incident with amusement, “ _ and _ I was performing an incredibly complex spell at the time.”

“So…he and I are tied?”

Hermione laughed. “OK, fine, you’re tied.”

“Hey, Granger, you’re coming over for dinner later, right?” Tony called over to her after shaking Steve’s hand. “Pepper wants your take on possible new colour schemes.”

“You mean,  _ you _ want me to talk to Pepper about colour schemes so you don’t have to,” she accused, hand on her hip.

Tony paused. “That’s what I said, isn’t it?”

Hermione rolled her eyes but kissed him on the cheek affectionately. “See you at seven.”

“Knock first,” he suggested with a wink, then got in his car.

Hermione turned to Bruce, who had taken the passenger seat. “How about the next time I visit you I come as myself?” she offered.

He smiled and nodded. “Sounds good to me. I think Tony’s fixing me up with a potentially-indestructible phone so… just give me a call?”

“I will,” she agreed warmly. She watched them drive off, following the trail left by Natasha and Barton, and she realised that only herself and Steve were left.

He jerked his thumb over his shoulder, indicating his motorbike. “I, uh, thought that maybe you and I could find somewhere to pick up where we left off in fifties.”

Hermione stared at him in puzzlement for a moment before she remembered their recent night in the library, studying the past events that he’d missed. “Right, Rosa Parks,” she recalled, amazed at how long ago that encounter seemed, even though it was less than a week. “If there’s one thing I love, it’s a keen learner.” She smiled warmly at him and moved towards his bike.

“Hermione!” a familiar voice called behind her. She turned and gaped when she saw Harry jogging up to her.

“Wha-  _ Harry _ ?!” she yelled, running forwards and wrapping her arms tightly around him. “What are you doing here?” she squealed. She stiffened when she remembered that Steve was only a few feet away and she pulled back from Harry, holding him at arm’s length. She looked awkwardly between the two men, unsure how to proceed.

Harry dropped his arms from Hermione’s shoulders and held one out to Steve. “Good to see you again, Captain Rogers.”

“Wait,  _ what? _ “ Hermione gasped, watching in disbelief as Steve shook the proffered hand. “ _ What?! _ ”

* * *

The Other cursed Loki bitterly for making him bring this unpleasant news to Thanos. He could not see his lord - only the back of his throne - but that was small comfort.

“Humans…” he continued gravely, having told his master of the fate of Loki’s army and passed on the Asgardian’s final message. “They are not the cowering wretches we were promised. They stand. They are unruly and therefore they  _ cannot _ be ruled,” he warned, fearing that Thanos had made a mistake in his latest orders. From his position kneeling on the floor, The Other saw a hand push down on the arm of the throne and he lowered himself closer to the ground so that his respect not be questioned. “To challenge them is to court death.”

“Enough,” Thanos’ voice rumbled deeply. “It is decided. I have found my new daughter.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed that! We'll be moving on to the next phase of the series now. 
> 
> Keep safe!


	19. Chapter 19 - Hermione Granger: Sorceress

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This marks the beginning of the third part of the series. We go from lots of action to a bit of a rom-com! Enjoy!

“Yeah, the four seats over there. D’you see them?” 

Hermione turned her head in the direction that Steve was pointing and spotted the vacant flip down chairs a few yards away. “I see them.” 

She let Steve lead the way, his muscular frame easily parting the busy crowd, and Natasha and Clint came after her. They excused themselves as they shuffled past the other spectators on their row before finally getting to their designated seats. 

The crowd inside Citi Field stadium started cheering and Hermione looked around in bewildered confusion. Steve started clapping his hands next to her and she swept her eyes along their seats with a frown. 

“Are you sure you wouldn’t rather sit with someone who actually knows about baseball?” she asked him. “I don’t think I’m going to be a very good companion.” 

“Don’t look at me,” Natasha said, taking her seat with a long sip of her drink. “I’m only here for the food and beer.”

Steve shook his head. “Don’t worry, Hermione, it’s fine.”

Clint looked at her, puzzled. “Why’d you come if you don’t know anything about the game?”

“Well,” Hermione shrugged slightly. “I wouldn’t say I don’t know  _ anything _ \- I did read a couple of books about baseball this morning.” Clint promptly choked on his bite of hotdog and Natasha had to whack him on the back to clear his airways. “But I think it’ll all make a bit more sense when I see it,” she added hopefully.

Twenty minutes into the game, Hermione was pretty much none-the-wiser about what was going on. She knew the overall aim of the game was to hit the baseball with the bat and run around the markers to score. She also knew the names of the teams: the New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers, and she could check the score on the big screen, but all the finer points were quite lost on her. However, the atmosphere was enjoyable to be part of and her friends seemed happy, so she just let it all wash over her. It wasn’t often that she or the others let themselves switch off from work. 

It had been two months and two days since the Battle of New York but Hermione had long been able to wean herself off of the dreamless sleep potion that had been necessary immediately after her encounter with Loki. She still had a bad night roughly twice a week; it was much the same after the defeat of Voldemort, but it would be unwise to become too dependent on the potion. 

The city itself was slowly recovering too, and the hysterical reactions to the whispers of an extra-terrestrial attack had long since been swept away by other global events. The reason that the existence of the Chitauri had been kept to nothing but a supposedly-wild conspiracy theory was due to Harry and the MACUSA-loaned team of hit-wizards.

When Harry had surprised her in Central Park, she’d been more than a little shocked to discover that he and other magical people had been involved in the battle against Loki’s forces – and that Steve had been aware of it too. Steve had looked guilty about the deception but Hermione was just relieved that she didn’t have to hide a huge part of her secret life from him. Steve had departed from Central Park soon after Harry had shown up, recognising that the two friends had a lot to say to each other. 

When they were alone and Hermione had erected a couple of anti-snooping shields, Harry explained how, when Hermione had gone missing after the destruction of Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S, Nick Fury had feared the worst and believed her likely to be under Loki’s spell. Fury had contacted Kingsley’s office using the emergency procedure they’d put in place when she’d become a part of S.H.I.E.L.D and Kingsley had gone to Harry, filling him in on her true profession. Harry had portkeyed over to the States, ready to intervene if she’d been turned because Fury had known how helpless they’d be to stop her. When she’d escaped, Fury suggested that Harry remain on standby just in case things turned sour. Upon hearing that Loki planned to unleash an alien army on the world, Harry hadn’t sat around idly twiddling his thumbs, but had met with the MACUSA’s president and convinced him to loan out a large proportion of their top hit-wizards to be ready to secretly come to the muggles’ aid should the need arise.

Harry and his team had arrived in Midtown within seconds of the portal being opened and it hadn’t taken them long to notice Hermione flying around causing chaos. They’d all been expertly disillusioned to stop the muggles from noticing them and set about protecting the inhabitants from the attackers, and using their magic to disrupt the television cameras. Harry had waited until Hermione had isolated herself in the diner and then set up the anti-disapparition wards to stop her from escaping, (an event she had no recollection of) and amid the cacophony of their duel, Steve had knocked her out with his shield. For the remainder of the battle, Harry and the hit-wizards’ priority had been to evacuate the muggles to safety and modify their memories of what they’d seen. 

“Your Nick Fury was  _ not _ happy when he heard we wouldn’t do more to combat the aliens,” Harry admitted, looking sheepish. “But we had our orders and I knew Loki would be defeated once you were back on the right side.” 

“Wait, Fury knows about the American hit-wizards?” Hermione asked in alarm. She thought that, as far as the Director was aware, magical beings were only residents of the UK.

“Not exactly,” Harry said. “He thinks I brought them over from London with me.” Hermione let out a breath of relief but Harry looked around the park with a frown. “It’s all so complicated.”

“It’s necessary,” Hermione responded firmly. “Fury’s never going to fully trust us - it’s better he knows as little as possible.” 

“And Rogers?” Harry asked curiously. “Where does he fit in all of this?” 

Hermione tucked her hair behind her ears and wound some of the ends around her finger. “I don’t really know,” she admitted with a shake of her head. “He’s…different,” she said eventually. “He caught me out in a lie very early on. I couldn’t bring myself to try and deceive him again so it was easier not to tell him anything at all.” She caught Harry’s eye and saw that he was smiling at her knowingly. “What?” she asked. 

“I know that look,” he claimed teasingly. “And who it used to be directed at.” 

Hermione laughed. “No, Harry. Just because I like Steve, it doesn’t mean I…  _ like _ him.” 

Harry didn’t look convinced. “If you say you,” he shrugged. “But you’re sure we can trust him? He’s not going to tell any of your new super-buddies that you’re not quite as unique as they thought?” 

She mulled this over. “Not unless I give him a reason to doubt my intentions,” she replied, “and I think the last few days have shown him morally where I stand, even if he’s unsure of a lot of other things about me.” 

And, as far as she knew, Steve hadn’t breathed a word about Harry to anyone. 

A small part of her had wanted to tell Steve everything about her world when they had met for their next history session. He was waiting for her on the steps outside the New York Public Library and was looking at the building with a bemused expression. 

“Every other building in Midtown gets wrecked and this one emerges unscathed,” he muttered before giving her a questioning glance. “You wouldn’t have anything to do with that, would you?” 

“I told you, it’s my favourite,” she replied defensively, crossing her arms across her chest. “I wasn’t about to let Loki’s hordes destroy it.” 

“But…how did you find the time?” he asked in awe as they ascended the steps.

She flashed him a smile. “That’s one of the benefits of being a witch!” 

He paused and looked back at her. “A  _ witch _ ?” 

Hermione froze, eyes wide. Thirty seconds in his company and she’d already blurted out a mistake. She held up a finger. “Um, let’s just get somewhere a bit more private first.” She stormed off to their previous study room, furious with herself, and Steve had to jog to catch up after her sudden change of pace. Once the relevant locking and privacy wards had been put in place, Hermione sat abruptly in the chair, Steve sliding into his less aggressively. “A witch is the technical term for someone like me,” she explained grumpily, still annoyed with herself. 

“Not a sorceress?” 

“No. That’s something Fury and I decided to use for protection purposes,” she explained. If anything, it was to appease the magical folk around the world who might prick their ears up if they heard the muggles were employing a ‘witch’. 

“So, Fury knows the truth about you too?” 

Hermione tilted her head. “In a way,” she agreed. “But he doesn’t know nearly as much as he’d like.” 

Steve chewed over these words, nodding slowly. “You’re protecting your people. That’s why you lied to me the last time we were here.” He looked annoyed with himself. “I’m sorry - I shouldn’t have gotten on my high horse and passed judgement on you.” 

“Don’t be too hard on yourself,” she objected. “You’ve had a lot to come to terms with in the last couple of weeks.” 

“Well, that may be true,” he admitted, shifting in his seat, “but I want you to know that I don’t want you to tell me anything you’re not comfortable in sharing. I understand that it’s not just your secrets you’re holding.” 

Hermione felt such a rush of gratitude towards him that she could’ve kissed him – in a purely platonic way, of course. She settled for a friendly squeeze of his hand instead. “Thank you, Steve,” she said. “I want to tell you, really I do. Some of it’s so extraordinary I can barely believe it myself.” She saw an almost pained expression on his face in response to her words and she bit her lip in deliberation. It couldn’t hurt to tell him a few little things, could it? It was only fair if he was going to keep her secret, after all… 

She cleared her throat. “Um, you remember that desolate boarding school I told you about?” 

He nodded.

“That was true,” she admitted cautiously. “It just  _ didn’t _ teach the subjects you probably thought it did.”

Steve gaped at her. “You went to a  _ magic _ school?” 

She grinned and nodded. 

Ever since that meeting, Hermione had allowed herself to tell Steve one thing about her world whenever she saw him. As they met up two or three times a week, he soon had an assortment of facts to start to make a picture of her life before S.H.I.E.L.D. It was reckless and indulgent, she knew that, but the look in his eyes when she told him about ghosts or moving staircases was extremely addictive. 

“How are you enjoying the game?” Steve asked her, halting her musings. 

“Oh, um, I’m still a little confused, to be honest,” she said, annoyed with herself because it shouldn’t be so difficult to understand a game that was played with just one ball at a time. 

She grinned mischievously and leant in close to Steve, missing the nudge and knowing look that Natasha sent Clint. 

“We have a sport that’s played on flying broomsticks,” Hermione whispered lowly to him so the others wouldn’t hear. 

Steve looked at her with a hint of suspicion and then shook his head, laughing. “How do I know if anything you’ve ever told me is true?”

“Don’t you think you’d be able to tell?” she asked teasingly, their faces still just a couple of inches apart. “You worked it out the last time.” 

He stared at her for a moment then laughed again. “Wow,” he sighed, leaning back in his chair. “Now that’s something I’d like to see.” 

Hermione felt the smile die on her lips. Was she being cruel telling Steve about things he’d never get to experience?

She was prevented from pondering that thought any further when Natasha turned to them both, looking uncharacteristically happy. “Hey, I forgot to say, Clint and I have managed the impossible and snagged each of you a blind date.”

“What?” Steve asked, looking appalled, while Hermione laughed falsely. 

“That’s funny,” she said, “because I’ve obviously forgotten the conversation we had where I asked you to interfere with my love life.” She then registered exactly what Natasha had said and frowned. “And  _ why _ is finding us dates an impossible task?” 

“Well, without telling people exactly who you are, it’s kind of hard to sell a couple of uptight fuddy-duddies,” Natasha explained unapologetically. 

“If you described us like that, it’s amazing you found anyone at all!” Hermione scoffed. 

“What should we have said then?” Natasha asked innocently. 

“Surely you could have told them how compassionate and hard-working Hermione is,” Steve suggested instantly. “Not to mention her courage and intelligence.”

Hermione felt her cheeks warm at his words and Natasha turned to Clint. 

“Does Hermione’s date know all of that?” she asked him.

“Yep,” Barton answered, not taking his eyes away from the game. 

“And does Steve’s date know he’s loyal, brave, kind-hearted and a perfect gentleman?” Hermione enquired. 

“She does,” Natasha replied evenly. “So, does this mean you’re going to go?” 

Hermione and Steve shared a look to gauge each other’s feelings on the matter before turning back to Natasha. “ _ No _ ,” they said in unison.

* * *

Steve pulled uncomfortably at the knot of his tie as he entered the front door of the restaurant. He couldn’t believe he’d let Agent Romanoff bully him into agreeing to this blind date. The main reason he’d given in was so that she’d hopefully leave him alone after tonight but, knowing how persistent the notorious Black Widow could be, he had his doubts. 

Another contributing factor to his compliance was that it was going to be a double date because Hermione would be there too. So, if it was a complete disaster, there was at least someone else present that he could talk to… unless she got too caught up with  _ her _ date, of course. Unfortunately, judging by the  _ glowing  _ recommendation that Natasha had seen fit to give Steve earlier that day, that was a distinct possibility. The man Barton had set Hermione up with was apparently nothing short of ‘ _ perfect _ ’ for her. For some reason Steve found that, despite having not met him, he already heartily disliked this mystery man. 

It was a stifling summer evening in New York City and Steve sincerely wished that Romanoff hadn’t picked such a fancy restaurant for the occasion. He didn’t think he’d felt so out of place for a long time. Sure, he might look the part, but inside he was still the same scrawny kid from Brooklyn who wouldn’t back down from a bully, no matter how many punches he’d receive for his troubles. 

The maître d’ showed Steve to the table as the gentle hum of chatter and clink of cutlery engulfed him. He could see that he was the first to arrive, as he’d expected, and he allowed himself to be ushered into his seat and presented with an elaborate drinks menu. 

“Thanks,” he muttered, placing the menu straight down on the table in front of him without glancing at it.

As for his own date, Natasha had told him very little except that she knew her through work, and that Steve was ‘bound’ to like her because everyone did, whether they wanted to or not. However, this failed to convince him: whatever spell his date managed to work on others, he doubted it would work on him because he just  _ wasn’t _ interested. He was too busy with adapting to life in the twenty-first century and starting work with S.H.I.E.L.D to get caught up in anything romantic. It would be unfair to expect any potential partner to put up with his dangerous and hectic lifestyle when one morning he could be in Hong Kong and the next evening he could be dead. Of course, he hadn’t failed to notice that casual relationships were far more frequent and socially acceptable these days, but he couldn’t quite reconcile himself with the idea of being so intimate with someone he’d just met… No, he was far better off alone. 

Something gold glittered in his peripheral vision and he turned. 

Hermione was being led towards him and before Steve even realised what he was doing, he was standing up, holding out a chair for her. The maitre d’ gave him a confused look and Steve stepped away from the seat feeling embarrassed. 

“Oh, Steve, thank goodness you’re here,” Hermione said nervously as she approached. “I can’t believe I even agreed for Natasha to set this up, let alone allow her to get me all dressed up for it. She accosted me a couple of hours ago with an entire rack of dresses and a giant container filled with more beauty products than I’ve ever seen in my life! Do, do I look all right?” she asked him with worried eyes, doing a little turn on the spot. 

“Uh…” She looked  _ far _ more than ‘all right’. 

Ever since their first meeting just over a couple of months ago, Steve had gotten to know Hermione far better than he possibly could have imagined. They’d had plenty of quiet study sessions in the library, semi-frequent movie nights at his flat where she’d happily eat her own body weight in pizza (his new favourite food) and they’d gone on other outings too, like their trip to watch the Mets game last week. In all that time, he’d never found himself so stuck for words as he did then.

He’d always considered her to be pretty, even when she’d tried to kill him and was covered in grime and dust after New York. Her mysterious ‘Sorceress’ aura had its own allure and he quite often found her endearing, even though he was well aware that she could look after herself. He was glad that she felt like she could relax and be herself around him and didn’t  _ have _ to spend two hours getting herself ready before they went anywhere. But from the top of her smooth and silky hair, past the beautiful, chocolate eyes, delicate lips, bedazzling, gold beaded dress, all the way to the ends of her interminably long, glossy legs he could only see perfection. 

“You look stunning,” he said hoarsely. Her face lit up into a wide smile and he felt his heart beat in double time for a moment. Then he remembered that she was on a date with someone else and it was like someone had injected ice into his veins. “Your date’s one lucky guy.”

She laughed brightly. “Thanks,” she said, reaching up to straighten his tie and he tried not to flinch at her touch. “And yours is going to be one happy girl - you look even more handsome than you usually do!” Steve tried not to read anything into her words; he was sure that she was just being polite. “Merlin, I’m so nervous, which is ridiculous because I don’t even want to be doing this,” she gabbled, taking the seat that Steve had pulled out for her. “But this is the first time I’ve ever done anything like this! I really don’t know what to expect. I mean, what do I do if I don’t like him? Or what about if I  _ do _ ?!” She rested her head in the palm of her hand and looked up at him anxiously as he sat down too. “This is all so stupid. I’d much rather be at yours watching the next film on your list,” she sighed. 

Steve completely agreed with her but thought it best not to say that. “We’re here now,” he reasoned instead. “We might as well make the most of it.” 

Hermione nodded and then shifted in her seat with a frown. “I  _ told _ Natasha this dress was too short,” she muttered, still squirming. Steve froze, determined not to lower his gaze from her face. “I tried to lengthen it with my wand but she wouldn’t let me,” Hermione continued, oblivious to his internal struggle. Mercifully, she soon settled down but she fixed him with a concerned look. “Are you all right? You’re very quiet tonight.” 

“I’m fine,” he assured her. “Just nervous, like you.” And he  _ was _ nervous – not about meeting the stranger that Romanoff had set him up with, but about how Hermione was making him feel. He used to be perfectly comfortable around her and now he was second guessing every word he said and every little movement of his body. Steve wished he could knock some sense into himself and remember that this was the same Hermione as always.  _ Books _ , he recalled,  _ she likes books. Talk about books! No, everyone knows that, come on, you can do better. _

“Did you see the latest warning from The Mandarin this morning?” Steve asked - because nothing quite reinforced the ‘we’re just friends’ dynamic better than a discussion about a maniacal terrorist. 

“Yes,” she replied grimly and Steve realised that it was actually a rather stupid question to ask someone in her line of work. “Apparently, Fury’s having difficulty in establishing the video’s origin, even though he’s got his best analysts on it.” 

“That’s too bad,” Steve said. “I’d love to put that man exactly where he belongs.” 

Hermione nodded sombrely and a silence settled over them. Steve cast around desperately for something else to say but nothing was coming to mind. 

Hermione leaned forwards with a serious expression on her face. “Steve, I just want you to know, I’ve been giving it some serious thought and, well…” She paused and he waited with bated-breath to hear what she was going to say. “I  _ still _ think you’re wrong about Gianluca’s having better pizza than Maretti’s.” Her face broke into a grin and Steve laughed in relief. 

“Oh, really?” he said, the challenge clear in his voice.

“Yes,” she replied and they launched into a seven minute comparison on the merits of the different pizzerias. This swiftly morphed into discussions on his latest music ventures, which films looked any good at the movie theatre and an amusing tale from Hermione about what had happened when she’d attempted to cook at beef stew a couple of nights ago. 

Steve had slipped so easily back into his familiar friendly conversational tone with Hermione that it had taken a noisy vibration from her cell phone to remind him of the consternations he’d been having around her a few minutes ago. He took a relieved gulp from the glass of water the waiter had brought them. Yes, this Hermione looked more glamorously attired than normal, but it hadn’t prevented his mind from remembering that the woman opposite him was his friend – he now had to come to terms with the self-revelation that he might not want to be  _ just _ her friend. 

“It’s from Natasha,” Hermione told him, referring to the message on her phone. “My date’s not coming – he’s been called away.” Right, they were on a double date. He’d almost forgotten. Hermione looked up at him with a distinct air of disappointment and bit her lower lip, instantly drawing his attention to it. Yep, definitely more than just friends. 

He cleared his throat as she tucked her phone back in her purse and scooted her chair backwards. “You don’t have to go,” he proposed but she sent him a sceptical look.

“What, and play third wheel to you and ‘Miss Perfect’?” she muttered, getting to her feet. “No, it’s OK, Steve. I didn’t want to be here anyway, remember?”

“Excuse me, Mr Rogers?” a waiter enquired, pausing at their table.

“Yes.”

“There’s been a call at the bar. I’m afraid the woman who was going to meet with you has been indefinitely detained,” the waiter said apologetically. Steve stared at the man for a moment before turning to Hermione with a dubious expression. At the waiter’s words, she’d folded her arms across her chest and her lips were pressed firmly together. “I do also bring some positive news,” the waiter continued, turning and picking up a tray with a bottle of champagne and two glasses. “Miss Romanoff wants you both to enjoy this.”

“Unbelievable,” Hermione muttered under her breath, shaking her head. 

Steve frowned at their gift as the waiter placed it on their table. He would be having a serious word with Natasha the next time he saw her - he didn’t take kindly to being manipulated by others. “What do you think we should do?” he asked. 

Hermione huffed and put her hands on her hips. “Well, it  _ would _ be a shame to waste it, if Natasha’s already bought it,” she pointed out slowly, and then shot a quick look at the waiter. “She has paid for it, hasn’t she?”

The waiter nodded.

* * *

Hermione meandered down Madison, arm looped through Steve’s, unable to keep a smile off of her face. The evening had turned out very differently than she’d anticipated it would but, at that moment, she had no complaints. 

She couldn’t believe how easily Natasha had been able to play her. That Black Widow had better watch her back for the next couple of weeks if she wanted to avoid becoming victim to a few embarrassing jinxes. 

Hermione and Steve had consumed the champagne and enjoyed a nice dinner, talking about everything and nothing. In many ways, the evening was just like lots of others she’d spent with Steve except for the fancy food and clothes. The alcohol, too, was something out of the ordinary and she was feeling pleasantly lightheaded as Steve escorted her back to the building Tony had decided was going to be re-christened ‘Avengers Tower’, which was where she was staying for the evening. None of them could ever use the main entrance to the building anymore as it was frequented by rather passionate fans who loitered there in the hopes of seeing one of their heroes. There was, however, a secret entrance round the back that had yet to be discovered by any of these keen individuals. 

“Tony says we can each have our own room and it’ll be designed in whatever style we want,” Hermione said to Steve as they walked into the parking lot underneath Stark Tower. “I’m thinking of requesting a rather garish clash of colours just to see the look on his face!” 

Steve chuckled and her heart did a little flutter in her chest, just like it had done every time he’d looked at her that night, because he’d never looked at her like  _ that _ until a couple of hours ago. She’d tried to convince herself that she was mistaken, that she was caught up in the excitement of the evening or that he was just surprised that she could scrub up OK when Natasha slaved away at her for two hours. But she just had this…  _ feeling, _ that something had shifted between them, and she was both excited and terrified to explore that change. 

They paused at the private lift that would take her to the residential part of the building and Hermione removed her arm from the crook of his elbow, instantly missing the lack of contact. 

“Thanks for walking me back,” she said quietly, suddenly feeling nervous.

“It’s fine,” he replied. “I needed a bit of fresh air.”

She nodded. “So, I guess I’ll see you for a couple of movies on Tuesday?”

“As long as we order pizza from Gianluca’s,” he said with a semi-serious expression and then smiled broadly, making her feel far giddier than the champagne had done. Sometimes she thought Steve was so ludicrously handsome that it almost hurt to look at him. “I’m joking - we can order whatever you want.” 

Hermione returned his smile warmly and pressed the button to call the elevator. “OK, well… Goodnight, Steve.” She took half a step forward and kissed him softly on the cheek, his hand coming to rest on her upper arm. She moved her head back barely two inches and paused, gaze locked on his, waiting to see what he’d do. 

_ Kiss me, _ she thought desperately,  _ please, kiss me. _ She could feel his breath on her lips and sense the warmth radiating off his body. 

The elevator door opened with a metallic clank. 

Hermione blinked and turned away from him, glad that he couldn’t see the disappointment on her face as she stepped into the lift. 

“Goodnight, Hermione,” she heard him say throatily as the doors hissed shut. 

* * *

“ _ Damn _ , he should’ve kissed her,” Natasha grumbled, watching through the highest-tech binoculars S.H.I.E.L.D issued, as Hermione stepped forlornly into the elevator. “Men are such idiots.” 

“Does this mean I can go home now?” Clint asked grouchily from where he was lying in the backseat of the sports car they were hiding in. “I don’t even know what I’m doing here.” 

“You were here so that if we got discovered, I could run away while you kept them occupied,” she answered evenly. Steve was still staring at the closed elevator doors until he sighed deeply and began to walk away. 

“What difference would that have made,” Clint muttered, “they’re going to come for you anyway, you know that, right?”

“And you,” she reminded him. 

“I said one word!” he objected. “ _ Yep _ . That was it! I don’t see how that qualifies as an ass-kicking or painful spell.”

“Take it up with them, not me,” Natasha answered, observing Rogers walk out of the parking lot, none the wiser to their presence. “OK, we’re good to go,” she said, shifting herself away from the car window. 

“I just don’t understand why you actually care about this,” Clint said as he climbed into the driver’s seat.

“Because it’s been getting on my nerves!” she explained heatedly as he started the ignition. “Sure, at first, it was hilarious watching them send each other mooning glances without them even realising what they were doing, but the fun wore off a month ago. The problem is they’re both so damn  _ nice _ and passive when it comes to this sort of thing they would’ve been stuck in the same god-awful PG-13 flirty garbage for the rest of their lives – and I’m not so sure I would’ve been able to stomach it much longer. They just needed a not-so-subtle push to make them face up to what was right in front of their eyes.” Clint drove them out into 45 th Street and Natasha tried to get more comfortable in her seat. “And... You know, I was bored,” she admitted with a shrug. 

“Wow, Nat.” 


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a little bit of borrowed dialogue from Winter Soldier here, which I obviously don't own.

The atmosphere in the room was incredibly tense, which was stupid when, in practicality, they were all on the same side. 

Hermione remained close to Director Fury, glad that she had decided to disillusion herself for this meeting: she  _ really _ didn’t want these top US generals and intelligence chiefs to know what she looked like. The uniformed men and women were all staring at her the best they could, which was difficult when she was currently camouflaged to look like the seat of her chair. 

This meeting between S.H.I.E.L.D, various military departments and intelligence organisations had been brought about by their concern over the Mandarin. The military had brought their greatest asset in the fight against the deadly terrorist with them: Colonel James Rhodes and his War Machine suit, and S.H.I.E.L.D had brought theirs: her. 

Hermione hadn’t wanted to attend and nor did Fury want to take her, but when they found out that Rhodes was to be present, the Director had recognised the attempt at intimidation and refused to bow down to it. She would have been amused by the stunned looks on the faces of the attendees at her entrance if she hadn’t been so daunted by the combined authority in the room. They’d all heard rumours of the Sorceress, of course, but they’d never expected to find that the name was  _ literal _ . 

The only other person in the room who wasn’t completely astounded by her, apart from Fury, was Colonel Rhodes, whom she’d briefly met in a shawarma restaurant after the Battle of New York when he’d turned up to the fight too late. Rhodes knew her true appearance and identity (something that Fury assured her wasn’t going to be brought up at the meeting) but she hoped that, given the Colonel’s strong friendship with Tony, he wouldn’t be revealing it to anyone. 

“We know why we’re here,” a particularly grouchy sounding army general, a man named Brown, announced, his voice finally drawing the attention away from her. 

“ _ You know who I am, you don’t know where I am, and you’ll never see me coming _ ,” another military figure said sombrely, quoting the final words the Mandarin would always end his video messages with. A number of people shifted uneasily in their seats. 

“Well, he’s damn right so far,” a man in a nondescript grey suit muttered. “We haven’t got anywhere close to finding the guy or understanding how he’s carrying out these bombings – if we can even call them that when we’ve found no bomb fragments at any of the sites.” 

“What other causes could there be for these planned explosions?” a severe-looking, white-haired woman asked. 

The general who had first spoken, Brown, fixed Hermione and Fury with an accusatory stare. “It sounds almost like sorcery to me.” 

“Not guilty, General” Hermione denied coolly, though her heart rate was definitely increasing. “I’m not the terrorist type.” 

There was more shifting at these words - the first she’d spoken - and Hermione assumed it was her accent that had caught them by surprise along with her supposedly calm demeanour. 

“We’ll have to take your word on that,” General Brown replied testily.

“And mine,” Fury added forcefully. 

“Mine too, sir,” Colonel Rhodes spoke up, drawing a number of surprised glances. “On May Fourth, I arrived in New York soon after the battle had taken place, and by all accounts, the Sorceress played a vital role in protecting the city.” 

General Brown pressed his lips into a tight line. “By all accounts, you say? Well, I’d be interested to hear them, Rhodes, seeing as I’ve had nothing myself and I know for a fact that President Ellis is still waiting for an official report from Director Fury about events in New York.”

“Unlike the rest of you,” Fury answered calmly, “I don’t answer to the President, General, as you’re quite aware and I  _ certainly _ don’t have to answer to you.” 

“Well, maybe it’s time you did,” Brown barked back. “S.H.I.E.L.D have been involved in too many incidents recently with your so-called  _ Avengers _ heroes. How can we help protect the people of this country when we don’t have a clue what’s going on?” 

“Because if any of you  _ had _ been involved in the decision making process that day, I’m sure that you would’ve attacked with such extreme force that Midtown would now be nothing but a toxic wasteland, home to the graves of thousands of innocent people,” Fury said emotively. “The Avengers stopped the attack in New York with barely a civilian life lost – “ 

“ – And caused millions of dollars’ worth of damage,” Brown interrupted. 

Fury looked like he was trying to keep his temper in check. “We are  _ here _ to talk about the Mandarin. How about we stop squabbling and get back on track?” There was a muttered assent around the table. “S.H.I.E.L.D is happy to offer its services in bringing this terrorist to justice.”

“You don’t have a piece of sorcery that can zap him right to us?” Brown asked Hermione sourly. 

“Unfortunately not,” she replied politely, determined not to let the man get under her skin. “But give me his coordinates and I can be there within five minutes, anywhere in the world.” 

Plenty of sceptical expressions met this statement. 

“She’s not showing off,” Fury explained. “If we find the Mandarin, the Sorceress will take care of him.”

“No,” Brown called with a shake of his head. “The Mandarin has all but declared war on America. We need to send out a strong message to reassure people that this country doesn’t bow down to terrorists. We can’t do that with your foreign sorcery  _ bullshit _ . True as it may be, it’s not going to make our citizens feel safe. War Machine will defeat the Mandarin and be seen doing so!”

A number of passionate voices were raised in response to this, both for and against General Brown’s edict. 

“You consider the reputation of your country to be of greater importance than saving innocent lives?” Hermione asked, appalled, her strong accent standing out against the harsh tones of most of the room’s occupants and they turned to look at her.

“With all due respect,  _ Miss London _ ,” General Brown sneered, his tone of voice in direct contrast to his words, “this doesn’t concern you.” 

“Well, that’s where you’re wrong, General,” she replied heatedly. “The killing of innocent people, whatever their nationality,  _ does _ concern me, and you can rest assured that I  _ will _ be there to fight the Mandarin whether you want me to or not!” She turned to Fury. “Permission to leave, sir?” 

“I think you’ve made your point,” Fury said, looking both amused and impressed. “Permission granted.” 

Hermione instantly disapparated. “She does damn good dramatic exits, huh?” Fury said to the astonished people. “And she also makes one helluva pumpkin pie.”

* * *

“Were all men from the forties idiots or just  _ you _ ?” 

This wasn’t the normal greeting that Steve would receive upon answering a knock at his front door, but given that it came from Natasha Romanoff, he probably shouldn’t be surprised. 

“I’m sorry?” he asked in confusion.

“Well, it’s no use telling me that,” she scoffed, barging past him. 

“No, as in, I’m sorry I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he explained, frowning at her enforced presence. He hadn’t seen Romanoff since she’d tried to set him up with…

“Hermione,” Natasha explained with a little shrug of her shoulders to emphasise that it should have been obvious what she was referring to. “What the hell are you playing at?” 

Steve stubbornly crossed his arms over his chest. “I am not talking about this with you.”

“Good,” Natasha retorted, hands on her hips, “because you’re going to listen.” 

Steve gaped at her audacity. “I think you should leave,” he said, hand still on the handle of the door. 

“ _ Three _ weeks,” Natasha bit out, ignoring his request. “You haven’t spoken to, or seen her, for  _ three weeks _ .” 

Steve felt guilt twist in his stomach. “I’ve been…busy,” he mumbled. 

Natasha raised an eyebrow and turned around in a slow circle, taking in the spotless apartment and switched on television, before fixing him with a cold expression. “Bullshit. Why are you avoiding her?” 

“I’m not – ” he began and Natasha gave him such a furious look that he stopped. “What has this got to do with you?” he asked instead.

“Well, I’m the fool who thought that if I knocked your heads together you’d start seeing clearly. Let me explain it for you in case you missed the finer details: you like Hermione and Hermione likes you,” she said clearly. “Do you get it now?” 

Steve frowned. “It’s not a question of me understanding…” he trailed off and Natasha raised her hands in frustration.

“Then what is it? You’re not scared, are you?” There was a pause and then her eyes widened. “Oh my God,” she said slowly, drawing out each word. “Captain America’s scared of asking a girl out on a date!” 

Steve flushed at her mocking tone. “There’s more to it than that,” he muttered.

“Explain it to me,” Natasha suggested.

Realising that Romanoff wasn’t going to leave anytime soon, Steve finally shut the door with a soft click. He sighed, trying to think of a way to put his thoughts into words. “I don’t want to hurt her,” he admitted eventually.

“Well, it’s a little bit late for that,” Natasha retorted.

Steve frowned in concern. “What?”

“Did you think if you just kept away from her for a few weeks, everything would go back to normal?” Natasha asked, shaking her head like he was completely stupid, which he was when it came to women. 

“I… don’t know.” It dawned on him that he’d been running away. He couldn’t believe that for the first time in his life he hadn’t turned around and faced something full on, and in the process he’d hurt someone he cared about. 

“Well, it won’t. If you don’t do something soon, she’s not even going to want to be  _ friends _ with you, let alone anything else.”

He  _ was _ an idiot. He’d never had much experience with girls, but what little he  _ did _ have, he always managed to screw up. Upsetting Hermione was the last thing he wanted to do and he hated the idea of losing her friendship but…he still wasn’t convinced that anything more between them would be a good idea. “She… she deserves better than me.”

“Hermione doesn’t seem to think so,” Natasha argued. “Surely you should let her decide that.” Steve stared at her for a moment, his mind a scramble of opposing thoughts and hopes. She seemed to sense his turmoil, for her posture softened slightly and her tone was less aggressive when she asked, “What are you going to do?”

He had to talk to Hermione, there was no doubt about that. But there was somewhere he needed to go first, someone he needed to see to make sense of everything, someone who knew  _ exactly _ how hopeless he was when it came to women. He walked over to his coffee table and picked up his keys and wallet. “I’ve got to go,” he said hurriedly, escorting Natasha out of his apartment. “I should probably thank you for giving me a kick up the ass but I still haven’t forgiven you for causing all this in the first place.”

“You’re welcome, Cap!” Natasha called after him as he jogged down the hallway. 

* * *

Bittersweet. 

That’s what Steve would describe his emotions as, sitting two feet away from Peggy after all these years. For him, of course, it didn’t feel like sixty years but for her… he couldn’t imagine what she’d been through or what it was like for her to see him looking no older. 

She lived in a retirement home in DC, her care quite rightly paid for by S.H.I.E.L.D given that she co-founded the organisation. One of the nurses had told him that Peggy suffered from Alzheimer’s disease. Upon seeing the confused expression on his face, the nurse had further explained what this meant. She’d also informed him that the rate of deterioration had slowed rapidly in the last year, which was as much as they could hope for. 

Steve had considered phoning or visiting Peggy many times since he’d found out that she was still alive, but he was concerned at how she’d react to seeing him looking as he did. He needn’t have worried though, because as soon as she’d seen him, Peggy had scolded him heartily for not coming to see her sooner. They’d embraced tightly, tears in her eyes, but she assured him that they were of joy. 

She proudly showed him the photos of her family and he listened to the stories of her many adventures with the SSR and S.H.I.E.L.D. Although it sounded somewhat conceited, he was glad that Peggy had managed to find happiness and fulfilment in her life without him. 

“You should be proud of yourself, Peggy,” he said when she had momentarily run out of stories to tell. 

She smiled at him warmly. “I have lived a life,” she agreed but her eyes turned mournful. “My only regret is that you didn’t get to live yours.” She patted his hand, where he sat next to her at a small dining table. “But there’s plenty of time for you yet, no?” 

“Sure,” he replied with a forced smile.

Her eyes lit up. “In fact, there’s a lovely young woman who volunteers here who I think you’d like. Sweet girl - she listens to all my stories from back in the day, well, the ones I can tell, anyway, and she asks much better questions than you!” Peggy teased, eliciting a genuine smile from Steve. “And she makes the best cup of tea going – it’s like an elixir!” 

“I’ll have to take your word for it,” he said gently. The last thing he needed was another woman to act like an idiot to. 

She looked at him, disappointed, then after a moment of searching in his gaze, gasped in delight. “You’ve found someone!” 

He stared at her, amazed that women could read him so easily. “It’s…” he began, then shook his head. “It’s complicated.” 

“Do you like her?”

“Well, yeah.”

“And she likes you?”

“I, I think so.”

“Then it shouldn’t be complicated,” Peggy pointed out. When she saw that this did nothing to improve his mood, she squeezed his hand. “What’s wrong, Steve?”

“That’s the problem,” he replied with a frown. “Nothing  _ is _ wrong, but given what I do, one day it  _ will _ be and I don’t want to put anyone through that.” He looked Peggy straight in the eye. “Not again.”

“Now you listen here, Steve,” she said crossly. “I’m sure this woman, whoever she may be, will not thank you for thinking so little of her. Do you think she wouldn’t be strong enough to cope should something happen to you?”

Steve balked at her words. “She’s actually one of the toughest people I know,” he admitted sheepishly.

Peggy gave him a satisfied nod. “Then it sounds like it’s definitely  _ you _ that we need to work on - no surprises there.” 

He chuckled, knowing that she was right, as usual.

“Steve, you can’t put your life on hold because you’re waiting for tragedy to strike at every turn. What happened to you,” she paused and Steve could see the unspoken,  _ to us, _ in her eyes, “was  _ awful _ .” Emotion had thickened her voice but she ploughed onwards. “But if you let that shape the way you live the rest of your life, then you might as well have not woken up. Make the most of every moment you have - live your life for all those that we know who couldn’t.” 

They sat in silence for a while, letting her words sink in. 

He thought of all the men he knew who didn’t make it back from the war; how all of them had deserved this opportunity far more than he did. And what did he do with this second chance? Self-sabotage what could be his one chance of happiness in this century – all because he was worried that he couldn’t protect her from whatever might never happen…

Steve just hoped that it wasn’t too late for Hermione to forgive him.

“Thank you, Peggy,” he said warmly. “You’ll always be my favourite girl.”

“I should hope not!” she objected with a wide smile, though her eyes became slightly watery. “Otherwise this conversation has been a complete waste of time. Now, come on, tell me all about her. Where did you meet?” 

Steve opened his mouth to reply but there was a knock on the door. Peggy sat up straighter. 

“Oh, that must be Hermione with my tea. Don’t worry, Steve, I won’t try and set you two up! Come in,” she called.

“Sorry,” Steve said quickly, thinking he must have misheard her. “Did you just say…” He turned as the door was opened and looked on in shock as Hermione came in the room.  _ His _ Hermione. 

She hadn’t noticed him yet, concentrating as she was on not spilling the beverage in her hand. “I won’t stay long, Peggy, they told me you have company.” 

“No, it’s fine, dear,” Peggy replied, oblivious to Steve’s astonishment as he remained frozen in place. “Hermione, this is my dear friend, Steve.” 

Hermione’s eyes flew towards him at the name and she nearly dropped the mug in surprise. “ _ Steve! _ ” she gasped.

It was the first time he’d seen her since Natasha had tricked them. After that, he’d tried desperately hard to convince himself he only saw Hermione as a friend but, if anything, she looked ten times lovelier in her simple cotton shorts and red top, the curls falling softly down her back, glowing in the light of the setting sun. 

Steve rose, intending to speak to her, but she placed the cup clumsily on the table and practically sprinted from the room.

“That’s her, isn’t it?” Peggy asked, looking rather surprised herself. Steve nodded mutely. “Well, don’t just stand there - get after her!”

He didn’t need telling twice. 

The corridor was deserted and he listened for the sound of running footsteps. A distant but familiar crack was all he needed to hear to know that his search would be in vain.

* * *

“Agent Granger, please make your way to these coordinates in Tribeca as soon as possible,” Director Fury ordered when she answered his video-call, “AKA  _ now _ .”

“What’s the situation, sir?” she asked, making a note of the digits he was sending her.

“We’re in pursuit of a man suspected of possessing a Chitauri gun. An undercover operative has been shot. The suspect is fleeing the scene in a hijacked cab - we’re working on the license plate. He’s heading towards Canal Street. If he makes it to the Holland Tunnel, things are going to get messy.”

“Yes, sir, I understand,” Hermione said, disillusioning herself in preparation. 

“Captain Rogers is close by,” Fury added and Hermione’s spirits plummeted. She was glad that Fury wouldn’t be able to distinguish her scowl now that the camouflage spell had been completed. “He’s going to do his best to get there and give you a hand.”

“That’s really not necessary, sir,” Hermione protested. She did  _ not _ want to see Steve when she was working – or at all, for that matter. “The arrival of the great Captain America will only attract more attention from onlookers, putting their lives at risk.” 

“Well, I suggest you get the job done before he turns up, then,” Fury said testily, obviously not impressed with her tone of voice. 

Hermione fitted her earpiece and apparated from the Triskelion with a louder crack than she normally would - she blamed her unsettled emotions. 

“The cab’s heading up Church Street,” Agent Hill told her as she emerged on a traffic island between two streets: Church and Sixth Avenue, “but it’ll probably take the turning for Sixth to give them a quicker route to the tunnel.” 

Hermione licked her lips to help her concentrate. It wasn’t often that she worked in such close proximity to civilians. She had to apprehend the fugitive without alerting the public to any unusual activity, especially as there was a hostage taxi driver to think of. 

“They’re two blocks away, moving quickly,” Hill continued. 

“I see them,” Hermione said quietly, raising her wand ready. The cab was weaving speedily between the traffic, angry car horns marking its progress towards her. She prepared to step carefully into the roadway, knowing that it was important to get as close to the fugitive as possible. 

When she wasn’t in imminent danger of being run over, she leapt in an intercept course with the cab, stopping just short of it, and non-verbally cast  _ Arresto Momentum _ at it. The tyres squealed noisily as the vehicle rapidly reduced its speed. Before it had even come to a complete stop, one of the rear doors opened and a young Caucasian male leapt out, firing indiscriminately over his shoulder as he sprinted down a side street. 

Hermione apparated to the other end of the alley so that he was unwittingly running straight towards her, ready to stun him at the last moment, wary that the red light would be spotted by others if cast too far away. 

He was fifteen feet from her… ten…five.

_ Stupef- _ “Oof!” Hermione was abruptly knocked to the floor, a large weight pinning her down. She was face-to-face with the man she’d been pursuing (not that he could see her properly), and on top of  _ him _ was Steve, who had tackled the man to the ground, not realising that she was there.

“What the…?” Steve asked in confusion, obviously bemused at why the man appeared to be floating a few inches off the ground. 

Hermione flexed her wrist and performed her stunning spell, the man’s face dropping onto her shoulder. Steve’s eyes widened in understanding. 

“Hermione?” he asked.

“It’s getting a bit hard to breathe down here, Rogers,” she wheezed. Steve stood immediately and dragged the man off her, leaving him drooling face down on the ground. Hermione climbed to her feet, ignoring the proffered hand to help her up. 

“I’m sorry - I didn’t know you were there,” he said,

“Yes, well, that was kind of the point of the spell,” she answered offhandedly, bending down to retrieve the Chitauri gun. “The suspect and weapon have been detained,” she said so that Hill and Fury would hear her. 

“Understood. You or Rogers wait there until he can be picked up,” Hill answered.

Steve stepped purposefully towards her and she turned away. “No need, tell me the destination and I’ll get him there straightaway,” she offered. 

“Hermione, you can’t do everything,” Hill rebuked her. “Other people need to earn their wage too.” 

“Fine,” Hermione said, glancing over her shoulder at Steve and tossing him the gun. “You stay, Rogers. I’ll go.” He reached out and grabbed her arm, something that wasn’t easy to do when she was disillusioned. 

“I need to talk to you,” he said earnestly.

Hermione flushed angrily. How dare he? “Oh,  _ now _ you want to talk,” she replied, trying to prise his fingers away. “Well, guess what? I don’t want to talk to you.” 

The whole situation was so embarrassing that she could barely look him in the eye. It was one thing for him to decide that he didn’t want a romantic relationship with her, but to shut her out of his life for the better part of a month when she’d thought they were good friends was just heart-breaking. She’d honestly thought Steve was better than that. 

“Hermione, please,” he begged, his damn, super-strong fingers not moving one jot, “I know I’ve been an idiot, just… hear me out.” 

“ _ Here _ ?” she clarified, motioning to the dirty alley. “You want to do this  _ here _ ?” Hermione steeled herself. “Fine, spit it out - let’s get this conversation over with and then we can both move on.” And that’s what she wanted more than anything: to put this whole, silly state of affairs behind her. 

He paused, seemingly stuck for words now that he had her attention. “Uh…” 

“Eloquently put, Captain,” she said dryly, trying to free her arm with a strong tug, but he pulled her closer. “What are you doi –“ She flinched in shock. “Y-you just kissed my nose,” she stammered.

“Sorry,” he muttered, sounding embarrassed. “It’s kind of hard to find your lips when I can’t see you.” 

Hermione blinked at him for a moment then tapped her head with her wand, reversing the disillusionment charm. “Better?” she asked breathlessly. 

“Definitely,” was his heated reply. 

He made no mistake in finding her lips the second time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I said at the start, I've borrowed some dialogue between Steve and Peggy from Winter Soldier here. I've taken a few lines but moved them forward by quite a few months. I don't know if his visit to her in that film was really the first time he had seen her since waking up, or if their conversation was just a repeated one due to her Alzheimer's. 
> 
> Take care, everyone.


	21. Chapter 21

“Honey, calm down,” Tony said to Pepper as he came into the bomb site that used to be his kitchen. “You’re freaking me out a little bit.” He reached out to try and massage her shoulders but she hurried over to the kitchen sink to wash some cranberries. 

“I know, I’m sorry,” she replied wearily, wiping the back of her hand across her forehead as water splashed everywhere. “I just want everything to be perfect for our first Thanksgiving together.”

“Well, if you wanted ‘perfect’, you should have called the caterers like I suggested,” he reminded her, dipping his little finger into the gravy boat and helping himself to a little pre-taste. He choked slightly on the overtly salty flavour but, luckily, Pepper didn’t notice. 

“Thanks,” she muttered sarcastically, “that’s very reassuring.” 

“It’s fine, look - Granger’s probably never had a Thanksgiving dinner before, it’s unlikely Banner had much time while hiding from the world and Cap’s tastebuds doubtless got frozen off while he was sucking ice cubes for sixty years. They’re just going to be grateful they’ve got people to share the day with.”

“Well, that  _ is _ why we invited them, isn’t it? So they wouldn’t be alone.”

“Er,  _ you _ were the one who invited them,” he pointed out.

“Is everything going OK in there?” she asked, ignoring his comment. “Have you made sure everyone’s got a drink? Is Hermione here yet?”

“Yes, yes and no,” he replied, raising a finger for each answer.

“All right, well, go back in and be a good host. I’ve got this.” 

Tony picked up a cloth and dabbed quickly at the blackened turkey, which had somehow managed to catch fire without Pepper noticing. “Yes, ma’am,” he replied, kissing her on the cheek. On his way back to the others, he paused and took out his phone. 

“D’you think you could pick up some gravy on your way over here?” Tony asked Hermione as soon as she answered his video call. 

“And a Happy Thanksgiving to you too,” she answered with a frown. 

“You’re not American, it doesn’t count,” he claimed. “So, gravy - yes or no?” 

Hermione rolled her eyes at him. “What type of gravy?” she sighed. 

“One that doesn’t taste like I’ve licked the inside of a salt shaker,” Tony replied instantly, shuddering. “But you’ve got to do it in stealth mode – Pepper can’t know.” 

“Fine,” she agreed. “Sneaky, un-salty gravy. Anything else?” 

“You’re already bringing dessert, right?” She nodded. “Then how about a turkey?” he asked. “Preferably one that’s already cooked with all the trimmings to go with it.” 

Hermione stared at him. “You can’t be serious.”

“Hey, well, it’ll be fine if you like your food on the blackened side…”

“It can’t be that bad,” she said doubtfully.

“I just had to put the turkey out. Pepper didn’t even notice it was on fire.”

Hermione understandably looked worried and then she sighed. “She’s going to kill us if she ever finds out.”

“I don’t care,” Tony claimed. “She’s been working so hard on this – I don’t want her to be disappointed when our guests die of food poisoning.” 

“That’s actually quite sweet of you, Tony.” He wondered why she sounded so surprised. “Speaking of your guests, did everyone get there OK?”

“Yeah, Banner and Rogers arrived this morning and Rhodey came over twenty minutes ago.” 

“Colonel Rhodes is going to be there?”

“Yeah, so?”

“I haven’t seen him since…” she shook her head. “Never mind. Try and stall Pepper for me and I’ll get there as soon as I can - I’ve got a couple of things to tie up here. Just don’t expect any miracles – food’s not that straightforward for me to work with.” 

Tony clicked his tongue in disappointment. “And you call yourself a Sorceress…” 

She gave him an angry look and then ended the call.

Tony took a couple of steps towards the lounge but a movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. He turned sharply, heart in mouth, his previously concealed repulsor blast ready to detonate, but he powered it down almost instantly when he saw who it was: Happy. 

His soon-to-be-ex bodyguard gave him a covert thumbs-up and then continued walking in what Tony presumed Happy thought was a stealthy fashion.

Tony sighed and walked over to the door. 

“What are you doing here?” Tony asked, his tone of voice clearing expressing that Happy should  _ not _ be there.

“Hey, boss,” Happy greeted, coming forwards and pushing past Tony to enter the mansion. “You’ll be pleased to know the outer area is secure. I just need to do a detailed sweep of the inside now.” 

“You’re  _ not _ staying for dinner,” Tony said, following after him.

“Dinner? What dinner?” Happy asked innocently with a small shrug of his shoulders, as he made a beeline for the kitchen. “Oh my God, it’s Thanksgiving!” Happy cried at the sight of the questionable feast Pepper had almost finished preparing. “I totally forgot!” 

“Happy,” Pepper said warmly, polite as usual despite the bodyguard’s intrusion. “It’s nice to see you. Have you got any plans for dinner? Do you want to join us?” she asked, ignoring Tony’s extravagant throat slicing gestures.

Happy gasped dramatically and shook his head modestly. “Oh,  _ no _ . No, I couldn’t do that.”

“Are you sure?” Pepper checked, vigorously mashing some potatoes.

“He’s sure,” Tony chipped in, trying to drag Happy away.

“You know what,” Happy said, a thoughtful expression on his face, “Yes, yes I will - I’ll join you.” He grinned round at them.

“I need another drink,” Tony muttered. 

“You guys, this is going to be the  _ best _ Thanksgiving ever,” Happy said excitedly.

“Really?” Tony deadpanned, not feeling the same enthusiasm.

“Of course!” Happy stated and then gestured to himself, nodding. “I’m  _ Happy _ … today’s  _ Thanksgiving - _ we’re going to have a  _ Happy  _ Thanksgiving!” He looked around at them as though this was the greatest play on words known to man. 

“Oh,  _ God _ , do I need another drink,” Tony muttered.

He was about to turn away when Pepper walked towards Happy with the bowl of potatoes and held out a small spoon to him. “Happy, come here, I want you to try this.”

Happy accepted the spoon eagerly and Tony shot him a very stern, warning look, which he thankfully didn’t miss.

“It takes good, right?” Pepper asked hopefully. 

Tony continued to stare meaningfully at Happy and mimed strangling him. “Mmmm,” Happy moaned, very unconvincingly to Tony’s ears, but Pepper seemed to buy it. “It  _ sure _ does,” he said, swallowing the potatoes with some difficulty. “You know, actually,” he said, clearing his throat, “thinking about it, I’m not sure I can stay for long.”

“Oh, how come?” Pepper enquired, putting the potatoes on the counter so that she could no doubt make another part of their meal inedible.

“I- I actually have this… thing,” Happy said weakly.

Oh no. There was no way Tony was going to let Happy off that easily. “He’s joking.”

Happy shook his head quickly. “I’m not joking.”

“He’s staying,” Tony argued. 

“Really?” Happy asked, looking concerned.

“ _ Really, _ ” Tony confirmed and then added fiercely under his breath so that Pepper couldn’t hear, “You are going to stay, you are going to eat and you are going to  _ like _ it.” 

Happy nodded mutely.

“Tony, why don’t you introduce Happy to your friends?” Pepper suggested.

Happy’s face perked up at the idea. “You’ve got friends here?”

“Please,” Tony scoffed, escorting Happy out of the kitchen before he let something slip about Pepper’s cooking, “don’t pretend they’re not the reason you invited yourself round in the first place.”

Happy shrugged, not denying the accusation. “Hey, I start working for Pepper next week. This might be my only chance to meet them.”

Just before they caught up with the others, Tony held a hand in front of Happy’s chest, making him pause. “Just… don’t embarrass me. Try and be cool – don’t start waving your panties around and declaring your undying love. You’ll freak them out.” 

Happy nodded seriously. “It’s fine,” he said tilting his head from side to side. “I’m cool…I’m cool.” 

To Happy’s credit, he wasn’t  _ quite _ as cringe-worthy as Tony had feared he would be. Happy already knew Rhodey pretty well, so it was only Steve and Bruce who were a little taken aback by Happy’s…  _ Happy _ ness.

In actuality, Tony found he was glad that Happy was there yacking away because it meant that  _ he  _ didn’t have to talk to his fellow Avengers. It wasn’t that he didn’t like them – he got on very well with Bruce, and Steve was OK when he wasn’t being ultra-serious, but having them here was bringing back memories of New York. And that was one area that Tony didn’t like to go. He’d already had to take a couple of bizarre trips outside to get a bit of ocean air – something he’d never had to do the entire time he’d lived there, and that was without them even bringing up what happened. Thankfully, it was like there’d been an unspoken agreement between them all that past battles against Asgardian psychos weren’t to be mentioned on Turkey Day. 

Happy, though, hadn’t got the memo. 

“So, can you guys give me any hints, you know, about what went on in Manhattan?” Happy asked, looking between Bruce and Steve. “Tony keeps coming out with this bullshit line about it being ‘classified’, like that’s ever stopped him before.”

“I’m sorry, Mr Hogan,” Steve answered politely, “but that’s true.” 

“It’s all right, you can tell me,” Happy insisted. “Security’s my game. I mean, look at me, have you ever seen anyone more trustworthy?” 

“Hey, Happy, I heard you’ve got a new job,” Rhodey called, taking one for the team. 

Mercifully, the doorbell rang a few minutes later.

“Someone else is coming?” Happy asked excitedly, heading for the door. 

Tony would have happily left Granger to experience the joy of meeting Happy by herself, but their digestive well-being was at stake. 

There was a gasp from Happy as he saw her open the door, purse slung over her shoulder. “No,” he breathed, looking wide-eyed between Tony and Hermione. “You’re not… she’s not… is she?” 

“If you want people to understand you, saying a few more words might be useful,” Tony advised sardonically.

“Is this vision of loveliness the Sorceress?” Happy whispered, staring at Granger avidly.

“Well,  _ I’m _ looking at her, I’m not sure who  _ you’re _ looking at,” Tony retorted, more to make fun of Happy than insult Granger, who did actually look like she’d put more effort into her appearance than normal.

Noticing his stare, Granger looked at Happy in concern. “Is everything all right?” 

“Oh, good God, she’s British,” Happy muttered, looking like he might weep with joy. “This day is just perfection.” He held out a hand. “Hi, Happy Hogan, it’s a pleas-“

“No time,” Tony interrupted, making a grab for Granger. “Happy, this is Hermione Granger. Granger, Happy. Let’s go.” 

“See you later, Happy,” she called as she let herself be pulled along. 

“Please tell me that you’ve been able to work your magic and there’s not just a solitary turkey leg in your bag,” Tony said quietly as they approached the kitchen. 

“No, it’s OK,” she replied. “Keep Pepper busy and I’ll do a switching spell with the food that’s in my bag – it’s a lot bigger in there than it looks. Just promise me that you’ll tell her the truth once we’ve all gone - I don’t want to lie to her.” 

Tony made a noise of disgust. “Seriously? Can’t you just be devious for once and let a lie stand?” 

“I don’t like lying,” she mumbled, looking uncomfortable. 

“Then being a secret agent was a really sensible career choice, wasn’t it?” he muttered back as they entered the rather smoky kitchen. “Hey, look who’s just turned up!” he called cheerfully to Pepper. 

“Happy Thanksgiving, Hermione,” Pepper greeted warmly, giving her a hug, before pulling away rapidly. “Oh, shoot, I’ve just got cranberry sauce on your lovely dress.” 

Granger smiled reassuringly. “It’s fine, I can spell it away no problem.” 

“Oh, good,” Pepper sighed. “I wish it was that simple for me! I look like an absolute mess.” 

“I’m sure Granger can clean you up too,” Tony suggested, sensing an opportunity. 

Pepper turned to Granger. “Would that be OK?” 

The other woman nodded. “Why don’t you go to the bathroom and wash off what’s on your skin and then I’ll do your dress.”

Pepper grinned trotting off to wash up. “Great. I’ll be back in a minute.” She paused just before she left and turned back with a stern expression. “Don’t touch anything though, I’m just about to serve up.” 

Granger held her hands up. “We promise we won’t touch a thing. Right, Tony?”

He nodded. “I swear.” 

The look of trepidation on Happy’s face as he sat down to eat the lunch that Pepper had cooked was wickedly amusing. Considering Happy had forced his company on them in the first place, Tony thought he was completely justified in not reassuring him that Granger had successfully switched everything on the table. She’d even gone so far as altering the appearance of the food so that Pepper wasn’t suspicious that it looked un-scorched and, well, appetising. But, as they’d promised, they hadn’t ‘touched’ a single morsel of it. 

Tony held his glass aloft, champagne fizzing merrily inside. “Happy Thanksgiving!” he toasted, the words echoed by their guests and they all clinked their glasses together. He noticed that Granger and Rhodey did so with less warmth than they gave everyone else. He was mildly curious why but he honestly couldn’t be bothered to ask them about it. 

“It smells delicious,” Bruce complimented Pepper, although he was giving the food a cautionary look due to its appearance. 

“Yeah, it does,” Happy mumbled, frowning in confusion. 

Tony carved the turkey, trying not to laugh at most people’s polite request for a small portion. 

Once they’d seen Granger dig in quite happily and not start choking, the others took their own tentative bites. In no time at all, the compliments started flowing and Pepper beamed at him. 

“And you said we should’ve got caterers in,” she whispered teasingly and he kissed her before his mouth could come up with a lie to spout. 

“Guys, come on, we’re eating,” Happy objected between mouthfuls. “Keep it classy like Steve and Hermione over here – you don’t see  _ them _ making out at the dinner table.”

There was a moment of silence as everyone except Happy paused in their eating. 

“Steve and Hermione aren’t together, Happy,” Pepper corrected quietly, looking embarrassed. 

“What, you think I don’t recognise the look of love when I see it?” Happy continued, deludedly so as far as Tony was aware. “It’s written all over their faces. And don’t think I didn’t notice you squeezing his hand under the table earlier,” he said to Hermione, whose cheeks had gone pink at the accusation. “At least I hope that’s what you were squeezing.” 

Tony’s face creased in confusion and then he laughed. “No way. Granger said  _ I  _ was too old for her,” he recalled, ignoring Pepper’s attempts to make him shut up. “Rogers is old enough to be her great-grandfather!” 

“ _ Tony! _ ” Pepper said forcefully between gritted teeth and he looked at her, bemused as to why nobody else was laughing. She stared at him, trying to communicate some sort of message with just her eyes, and Tony turned back to look at Granger and Rogers, wondering why they hadn’t jumped in to put Happy straight. They both looked embarrassed, there was no doubt about that, but as Tony watched, their hands sought each other’s out and their fingers weaved together. 

“Oh…” Tony said shortly. “Well, this is awkward.” 

“No,” Happy corrected. “It’s awesome. Can you imagine how kick-ass their babies will be?” 

* * *

“Tony, do you have any idea what time it is?” Hermione murmured sleepily, having only opened her eyes long enough to find the button to answer his call, before plonking her head back down on the pillow. 

“I can’t see you,” he muttered. “Why’s it all dark? Are you in a movie theatre?” 

“ _ No _ ,” she stressed through gritted teeth. “It’s nearly five o’clock in the morning here. I’m in bed.” 

“Right, whatever,” he replied, not sounding particularly bothered. “Wait – Rogers isn’t there too, is he?” 

“What?” she yawned. “No, he’s not – not that it’s any of your business.” 

“I just thought I’d check - if you two were in the middle of something that would be really awkward.”

“Hmmm, awkward, imagine that,” she muttered. “Is there a reason for this conversation or do you simply want to deprive me of sleep?” 

“I have a request to make, Granger,” he informed her. “Business partner to business partner, superhero to fellow superhero, dare I even say it, from friend to friend.” 

She frowned. “What sort of friend doesn’t even call me by my first name?”

“I told you - more than two syllables is too many for me to handle on a daily basis.” 

She sighed and rubbed her eyes, knowing that she was unlikely to be going back to sleep anytime soon. “What’s the request?” she asked heavily, aware that it was likely to be a big one. 

“I want you to destroy my suit with your magic.” 

Hermione sat up and grabbed the phone, looking at him in concern. Her gaze took in his tired, dishevelled appearance and how it contrasted with his alert eyes. His arms were moving out of shot and she wouldn’t be surprised if he was trying to do two things at once, while  _ still _ talking to her. “ _ Why _ ?” she asked suspiciously.

“Does there have to be a reason?” he argued defensively.

Hermione rolled her eyes. She was too tired for this. “J.A.R.V.I.S what’s the reason?” 

“Mr Stark would like to investigate ways of defending his suits from your spells,” the computer system replied automatically.

“Traitor,” Tony muttered, before pausing whatever he was doing and looking at her. The seriousness of his expression made her shiver. “You’ve completely got my number and I don’t like it,” he admitted. 

“Tony,” she sighed, brushing some sleep-tousled hair out of her eyes. “I understand that my magic might make you feel vulnerable, especially given what happened with Loki’s sceptre, but you know that’s not an option.”

“And what if something like that happens again?” Tony queried. “What if we can’t stop you?”

“That’s not going to happen,” she reassured him gently. “And if, by some bizarre twist of fate, it does - Steve will be able to defeat me.”

“Oh, yeah? What does lover-boy know that I don’t?”

“Don’t be childish, Tony,” she chided. 

“Look, I don’t see what the big deal is. I don’t want to harness your spells and create a magical suit, I just want to stop you being so effective against me. It’s a sensible precaution.”

“OK, let’s pretend that I give you the chance to develop technology against me – if that’s even possible. What happens if that tech gets stolen by someone not very nice and I then can’t use my magic to defeat them?” 

“I seem to remember you raising this point one of the first times we met.”

“That’s because it’s a highly valid one and, as I said then, you’ve had plenty of experience of your technology coming back to bite you in the behind.”

“God, you’re such a prude,” he said scathingly. “Just say ‘ass’, Granger.” 

“Don’t get tetchy with me –  _ you’re _ the one that woke me up!” 

“And I’m now very much regretting it.” 

Hermione tried to breathe calmingly through her nose. “I’m sorry, Tony, but the answer is no. It’s too risky for me.” 

“Uh-huh, whatever. See you around, Granger,” he said then abruptly ended the call. 

Hermione flopped back onto the pillow with a groan, eyes staring blankly in the gloom. Her brief conversation with Tony had left her concerned. His agitated demeanour was so out of character and she had a feeling that he hadn’t been sleeping well. She deliberated for a moment and then with a sigh, yanked the duvet off herself and clambered out of bed. 

Three minutes later, she apparated into Tony’s workshop. 

He didn’t look particularly impressed to see her. “I thought we agreed that you were never going to just pop straight in here.” 

“Courtesy went out the window after you woke me, insulted me and then hung up,” she replied coolly. The workshop was in a bit of a state. Various pieces of machinery lay cluttered around the room and the floor was littered with odd bits of wire and metal.

“You obviously missed the tone of the conversation then because that wasn’t an invitation for you to come over,” he muttered, fiddling with something that looked like the arm of his next suit. 

“I’ve brought you an early Christmas present,” she said matter-of-factly, holding out a vial containing a purple liquid. 

He looked up, reluctant curiosity on his face. “What is it?”

“A dreamless sleep potion,” she explained. “If you drink this, you’ll get about eight hours of blissful nothing.” 

Tony stared at it. “And, er, what makes you think I’d want something like that?” he asked, trying to be offhand. 

“Tony,” she said softly. He looked up at her, his eyes struggling to focus on her for a moment and he frowned. 

“You look like you want to hug me,” he said disapprovingly. “Please don’t.” 

“Take the potion and go to bed,” she instructed calmly. “It’ll make you feel better and I know because I took it every night for about a month after New York, gradually decreasing the dose until I could comfortably sleep without it.” 

Tony wiped a weary hand over his eyes. “No dreams?”

“I promise,” Hermione replied. Seeing the relief on Tony’s face, she felt guilty that she hadn’t thought to offer him some potion earlier. It had been over six months since they’d fought Loki. She dreaded to think how long he’d been suffering without telling anyone. “J.A.R.V.I.S have you got somewhere I can store some of these so that Tony can only get one each night?” she asked. 

“Certainly, Miss Granger.”

“You still don’t trust me not to exploit it, huh?” Tony said as he got to his feet, stretching the muscles in his back.

Hermione raised an eyebrow at him. “Would  _ you _ ?” 

He shrugged, conceding her point. 

She went to the cabinet that J.A.R.V.I.S. promised he’d keep sealed from Tony, and took a dozen similar phials out of her expanded pocket. “I’ll give you enough until I get back from Australia.” 

Tony looked at her in surprise. “Why you going out there?” 

“It’s where my parents live,” she answered, shutting the compartment and turning back to face him. “We’re a little, um,  _ estranged _ , but Steve’s convinced me it’s time to patch things up.” 

That hadn’t been one of their more pleasant conversations but Hermione recognised it as a key one in their relationship. When Steve had asked her about her family, it had been difficult for her to trust him with knowing about something so personal. Altering her parents’ memories and convincing them to start a new life in Australia was a decision made of love and sacrifice. There had been no way she was going to let them be vulnerable to Voldemort’s campaign of terror and she’d simply done what she must to keep them safe. Steve had understood that (although she hadn’t gone into detail about the Second Wizard War with him) but he’d been surprised that four years had passed since then and she still hadn’t sought out her parents to return their memories to them. Hermione had argued that she wanted to make sure that it was safe before she tried to bring them home, that Voldemort’s followers were truly gone. Then, after a bit more discussion and a few tears on her part, she eventually revealed that she was scared: scared that they would be angry at her for what she’d done, for making them forget her. Steve had embraced her tightly, reassuring her that if they loved her as much as she did them, they would understand. She’d woken the next morning still in his arms, the both of them having fallen asleep together on his couch. She hadn’t felt so content in a very long time.

“He going with you?” Tony asked sleepily, interrupting her thoughts. Now that he’d resigned himself to going to bed, he seemed about to fall asleep on the spot.

“Yes.” Which was good because she didn’t think she’d have the strength to go on her own. 

“Hmm,” Tony hummed approvingly. “I’m happy for you, kid.” 

“Thank you, Tony,” she replied with a smile, knowing that he’d never normally show any opinion on the matter.

“Cute PJs,” he muttered as he shuffled past her to ascend the stairs. “Wait…” he squinted at the clothes underneath her jacket. “Are those decorated in little Captain America shields?” 

Hermione grinned. “Natasha bought them for me as a joke for my birthday, but they’re actually really comfortable.”

Tony frowned at her. “I find that incredibly disturbing…” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. The Thanksgiving scene is one of my favourites in the whole series. Hope you liked it.
> 
> Keep safe, everyone!


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the massive delay, guys.

“You have a death wish, don’t you?” Granger asked angrily as she let herself into the workshop – through the door this time. 

“Your navigation is off - this isn’t Australia,” he pointed out, ignoring her as he fiddled with the Mark 42. J.A.R.V.I.S. was currently compiling a report on the Mandarin for him and then Tony was going to find that son of a bitch. 

“Fury pulled rank and cancelled our trip due to the increased Mandarin activity,” she grumbled. “And I’m glad he did now that you’ve personally invited him round - makes my job a lot easier.”

“I thought he was Rhodey’s responsibility,” Tony argued. He already knew that the military wanted to keep Granger out of it, Rhodey had told him as much when they’d met the other day, which only went to prove how stupid bureaucracy was, as if he needed reminding. 

“Does it matter as long as he’s stopped?” she shrugged. 

Tony nodded approvingly, finally sparing her a glance. “So you’re here to help as well as chastise?” He’d promised the Mandarin that the Pentagon was not a part of his threat, but seeing as Granger was being excluded from their operation he didn’t feel he was being deceptive by having her join him – not that he cared what the Mandarin thought. 

“ _ Mostly _ chastise,” she allowed. “And also to try and convince you to leave.”

“Nope,” he said instantly, popping the ‘p’. 

“Tony, we don’t have any idea how The Mandarin is carrying out these bombings. There’s no warning, just devastation. How can you be sure that you can defend yourself?” 

“I can’t leave after I’ve just challenged him, Granger.”

“Is this about your ego?” she accused, hand on her hip.

“No! Look, this is  _ my _ house and I’m in control. If we go out there, I can’t protect Pepper as well.”

“Pepper?” she questioned and then her eyes widened. “Pepper’s  _ here? _ ” 

“Yeah,” he replied but he knew Pepper wasn’t happy about it.

“What’s  _ wrong _ with you both?” Granger asked, appalled, turning to hurry up the stairs. She paused at the doorway and shot him an annoyed look. “Oh, and if you thought my Captain America pyjamas were weird, don’t even get me started on that giant bunny.” 

“The Mandarin database is complete, sir,” J.A.R.V.I.S. announced as Tony frowned at her. What was so bad about his Christmas gift to Pepper? 

He spent the next few minutes sifting through what J.A.R.V.I.S. had found for him, and then investigating a digital reconstruction of the bomb site at the Chinese Theatre. He’d just decided that he was going to take a trip to Tennessee to do some digging around, when there was another unwelcome guest at the door. 

Given that he’d just sent an international terrorist his home address, he donned his latest suit before ascending the stairs. 

Granger met him on her way down from the upper floor with a big bag over her shoulder and an even angrier expression than before. 

“Unsurprisingly, it turns out that Pepper  _ isn’t _ as insane as you,” she huffed and then paused when she was blocked by the toy bunny at the foot of the stairway. 

Tony’s attention was taken by the woman who had just walked through the front door. 

“Right there’s fine,” Tony said at her approach, holding up a finger and she waited expectantly. He recognized her as Maya Hansen, a biological DNA coder whom he’d seen in the millennium with. He retracted his mask. “You’re not the Mandarin. Are you?” She didn’t answer. “ _ Are  _ you?” 

“You don’t remember,” Maya chuckled, looking distinctly unimpressed. “Why am I not surprised?” 

“Don’t take it personally,” Granger called, having finally managed to overcome the bunny. “I doubt he can remember what he had for breakfast.” 

Tony scowled her and then realised that he  _ couldn’t _ remember.

“Gluten-free waffles, sir,” J.A.R.V.I.S. provided.

“That’s right,” Tony recalled. Granger and Maya looked at each other curiously, each trying to figure out who the other was. 

Maya caved first and returned her gaze to Tony. “OK, look, I need to be alone with you, someplace not here. It’s urgent.”

Granger raised an eyebrow. “Well, that’s convenient because Pepper and I are just leaving.”

“Er, no, she’s not,” Tony objected.

The second of Pepper’s bags dropped to the floor behind them. “Tony!” she called. “Hermione’s taking me somewhere safe.” 

“No, she’s  _ not _ ,” he repeated, getting frustrated as Granger made to grab the second case. “Leave it,” he ordered but she ignored him.

“Is there someone else there?” Pepper asked, her voice echoing down. “I heard the doorbell.”

Tony stepped out of his suit now that the immediate threat of danger was a false alarm. “Yeah, it’s Maya Hansen,” he replied, turning away from the victorious look on Maya’s face. “Old botanist pal that I used to know… barely…” 

He took Maya to the side as Granger went to help Pepper get past the bunny. “Please don’t tell me there’s a twelve-year-old kid waiting in the car that I’ve never met,” he said quietly.

“He’s thirteen,” Maya corrected and Tony flinched. “No, I need your help,” she continued.

“But, what for?” he asked, when he’d recovered from her joke. “Why now?”

“Because I read the papers and frankly, I don’t think you’ll last the week,” she said matter-of-factly.

Why did no one have faith in him? “I’ll be fine.” 

“I’m sorry,” Pepper said, coming over with a frowning Granger in tow. “With Happy in the hospital, I didn’t know we were expecting guests – ”

“We weren’t,” Tony cut in.

“ – and old girlfriends.” 

“She’s not really –” Tony muttered.

“No, not really” Maya agreed . “I… It was just one night.” 

“Yep,” Tony confirmed, hoping that Pepper wasn’t mad.

She smiled at him sweetly. “That’s how you did it, isn’t it?” she said with false pride. 

Granger cleared her throat. “I’m sorry to interrupt this… whatever it is, but we should get going.”

“No,” Tony said firmly.

“Yes, and you’re coming with us,” Pepper argued, looking at him expectantly. “Right, Hermione?” 

Granger looked awkwardly between them. “I can’t  _ make _ Tony come. I mean, I  _ could _ , quite easily, but I won’t. It’s his moronic decision to make.”

Pepper sighed but still looked determined. “Well,  _ you _ might not make him, but I will. We are leaving  _ immediately _ and  _ indefinitely _ .” 

“That’s a great idea,” Maya said. “How about I help you put the stuff in the trunk?”

“Oh, um, we weren’t going to travel by car,” Granger muttered as Tony again voiced his objection. 

Pepper turned on him. “You see, this is how normal people act.” 

“I can’t protect you there!” he argued, beginning to get more than a little frustrated.

“But  _ Hermione _ can,” Pepper pointed out. 

“Is… is that normal?” Maya asked, pointing to Pepper’s large Christmas present and Granger smirked in amusement

“Yes, this is normal!” Tony yelled at Maya, his temper finally getting the better of him. “It’s a big bunny, relax about it!”

“Calm down!” Pepper chided him, holding up her hands.

“I got this for you!” he said, referring to the bunny.

“I’m aware of that,” she replied calmly.

“You still haven’t even told me you liked it!” he objected.

“I  _ don’t _ like it,” she replied. “Would  _ you _ like it?” Pepper asked, turning to Granger.

She started at being drawn into the conversation again. “Normally, I wouldn’t get involved in another couple’s argument – ”

“Then,  _ don’t _ ,” Tony urged.

“ – but that rabbit is just embarrassing, Tony,” Granger finished, not looking particularly apologetic. 

“ _ See _ ,” Pepper emphasised. “Now, please tell Tony what Steve got you for your birthday.”

Granger pulled back the sleeve of her jacket and lifted her arm, looking guilty.

“You want a wrist covered in scrap?” Tony asked disbelievingly, scowling at the offending item circling Granger’s wrist.

“It’s a charm bracelet,” Pepper corrected hotly. “They fill it with memories and tokens that are important to them.”

“That’s nauseating,” he retorted.

“Guys,” Maya called but the others ignored her.

“No, it’s beautiful and it sums up their relationship,” Pepper argued. “What does  _ this _ say about ours?” she asked, pointing to the bunny.

“Can we, um,” Maya tried again.

“What?” Tony asked irritably, glancing at her. 

Maya was staring at the TV. The news channel that was showing was broadcasting live from a helicopter hovering over his mansion. “Do we need to worry about that?” she asked, pointing to a missile that was heading right for them. 

Granger gasped, dropping Pepper’s bags and taking out her wand at the same time. She waved it, a misty, silver barrier starting to emerge from it. The missile hit and the room exploded around them. They were all thrown backwards by the blast, but probably not as forcefully as they would have done without Granger’s partial shield. Before he hit the ground, Tony used his new tech to summon his suit and encase Pepper so that she’d land safely. He, himself, landed rather forcefully against the wall and sank, winded, to the ground. 

“I’ll take care of whatever that was, you get everyone out!” Granger yelled through the smoke before disappearing.

Tony slumped there, dazed for a moment. God, that was so close to being a disaster. He could see Maya stirring on the floor a few yards away and he was relieved that it looked like they were going to be OK. 

Granger’s barrier had forced the impact of the explosion upwards and large cracks appeared in the ceiling above them. He flinched as a large chunk fell towards him and braced for its impact, but it never came. Pepper was crouched over him in the suit, protecting him. 

“I got you,” she said, as the mask lifted away.

“I got you first,” he countered. More of the ceiling fell around them and Tony decided that maybe it would be best to leave after all. “Like I said, we can’t stay here.” They scrambled to their feet, hurrying across the room to get Maya. Three loud explosions boomed in succession around them. They seemed to be external detonations though, because the mansion only shook slightly.

Tony helped Maya to her feet and the three of them stumbled over to the exit, Tony showing Pepper how to use the repulsor blast to smash the window. 

“W-where’s the other girl?” Maya stuttered as they got into the relative safety of the fresh air. 

“Don’t worry about her,” Tony said, summoning the suit off Pepper and back onto himself. 

“Hermione can take care of herself,” Pepper added breathlessly as another boom echoed in the air along with bursts of machine gun fire.

“Tony, please tell me you’re out?” Granger’s breathless voice echoed in his ear and he was immensely glad that she was wearing her earpiece. “These things can see me, they must have thermal imaging. I can’t defend the mansion and take them out at the same time.”

“We’re clear,” Tony responded quickly. 

“Good. J.A.R.V.I.S, you’re free to see me too,” she ordered. 

“Running the ‘Sorceress Sight’, protocol now, Miss Granger,” J.A.R.V.I.S. replied, which was the program that temporarily neutralised their agreement not to pick up data about her.

“I’m on my way.” Tony promised. He braced himself to fly off but the suit didn’t respond. “J.A.R.V.I.S. where’s my flight power?” Tony barked.

“I’m working on it, sir. This is a prototype,” the computer system reminded him. 

Damn, he wasn’t going to be much help to Granger without his flight but he couldn’t let her face this all on her own; he had no choice but to go back inside and fight these bastards where he could actually see them. Not to mention that his presence near Pepper and Maya was only going to put them in further danger. 

“ _Tony!_ _No!_ ” he heard Pepper scream after him as he re-entered his ruined home. Explosions erupted all around him, blasting him off his feet. He assumed that Granger had started going on the offensive instead, which left his home rather vulnerable. 

He tried to fire his munitions at the three highly-weaponised helicopters he could see through his destroyed windows, but a number of errors and warning signs flashed before his eyes. “Sir, the suit is not combat ready,” J.A.R.V.I.S. told him. Tony sighed. He really wasn’t doing well. Bullets started peppering the ground all around him so he threw himself behind a girder for protection as the floor sloped alarmingly. A large portion of his floor gave way before his eyes and he re-evaluated the cleverness of his plan to trap himself inside a building that was at great risk of falling into the ocean while he was wearing a malfunctioning suit. 

He risked a glance outside and saw that only two helicopters now remained. What had happened to the third, he had no idea, but he assumed that Granger had taken care of it, even though J.A.R.V.I.S. was showing no sign of her. 

Tony yanked open one of the weapon portions of his suit and took out a small missile of his own. He launched it out of the window and sent a repulsor blast after it, only noticing too late that J.A.R.V.I.S. was showing Granger flying right next to the helicopter he’d aimed at. Tony couldn’t see her with his own eyes because she’d camouflaged herself, but J.A.R.V.I.S’ thermal imaging showed her get blasted backwards as it detonated, and collide heavily with the third chopper. She plummeted to the water below, seemingly unconscious. 

He took a split second to make his decision. 

As he dived into the ocean after her, he narrowly avoided the destroyed helicopter as it crashed into his mansion. Tony reasoned with himself that it hadn’t been a good idea to stay in there regardless. 

“Find her, J.A.R.V.I.S.” Tony ordered as he speared through the water. “And fix my flight power!” 

Great slabs of his home whizzed past him to the ocean’s depths as he tried to pull himself through the gloomy water. 

“Miss Granger is forty-three feet away,” J.A.R.V.I.S showed him. “Flight power has been restored.”

“Finally!” he muttered. “Let’s go get her.” He propelled himself through the water, having to make a drastic alteration of course at one point when one of his beloved sports cars suddenly crashed into the water in front of him. 

J.A.R.V.I.S’s sensors showed Hermione’s body signature and Tony quickly grabbed her around the waist before heading to the surface at full speed even as the water started seeping through cracks in his suit. 

“Mass incoming, sir!” J.A.R.V.I.S warned urgently, his scans showing a huge partial collapse of the mansion. Tony cursed, altering course to avoid getting crushed. His foot snagged on a large cable, the weight of the connected concrete dragging them back down. Panic started to settle in his chest and he was finding it hard to breathe. He  _ had _ to get Granger to the surface soon otherwise he’d have no chance in reviving her. 

Tony propelled himself downwards to unhook his suit and then cut a diagonal path up and away from the debris and the mansion. He shot up into the air, disappearing behind the clouds. 

“J.A.R.V.I.S, help me through this,” he instructed as he flipped over in the air so Granger’s back was resting on his chest. 

“Allow me, sir,” J.A.R.V.I.S offered and the arms of the suit moved to the computer system’s orders, compressing her chest a few times. “You’ll have to do this bit, sir.” J.A.R.V.I.S. said, flipping them over again, one hand scooped around her back supportively, and the other closing her nasal passages. His mask shifted upwards. “Seal your mouth over Miss Granger’s and blow twice, firmly and steadily.” Any qualms Tony had about this instruction were immediately pushed aside when he considered this was all his fault. He did as instructed, praying that he wasn’t making any errors. They turned over once more and J.A.R.V.I.S repeated the compressions. 

Granger’s chest heaved and she spat out a good deal of seawater. Tony felt himself slump in relief. She lay back against him with a soft thump. 

Now that he wasn’t fighting off all manner of threats and the adrenaline was starting to wane, darkness was starting to creep into his vision. Maybe he’d hit his head a lot harder than he’d thought…

* * *

She was cold. That was the first thing Hermione became aware of. 

Why was she this icy? It might be the end of December but she never let her apartment get this cold. And  _ what _ was up with this headache? 

Hermione opened her eyes blearily and stared up at a completely unfamiliar wooden ceiling. She sat up with a start, nearly bumping heads with the Iron Man suit that was seated next to her. 

“Tony? What the… Where are we?” 

He didn’t respond. Hermione saw that the light on its chest was out and she realised that it was just an empty suit. Looking around, she saw that she was in a cluttered, wooden garage, seemingly alone, and she tried to put the sequences of events back together again. She’d been fighting the Mandarin’s forces at Tony’s mansion and then…? The only impression she had after that was the bone-deep chill she was experiencing and… snow? 

Looking down at herself, Hermione assumed that Tony had covered her with the blanket and she blushed when she realised that he’d changed her clothes too. She could see a number of harsh grazes on her arms and her face felt sore – not to mention her horribly tender throat. 

She searched around for her wand and jacket, finding them on the desk, and went about fixing her injuries. She also found a note that was written in Tony’s handwriting, welcoming her to Rose Hill, Tennessee, informing her that he’d gone sightseeing and he’d left a street name for her. Next to the note was an evening edition of a local newspaper and she read the headline in shock;  _ MANDARIN ATTACK: STARK PRESUMED DEAD. _ She read the article quickly, letting it fill in a couple of the blanks in her memory, but how or why the two of them had gone from Malibu to Rose Hill she had no idea.

Judging by the damp, sodden clothes, waterlogged phone and sore throat, she assumed that she’d ended up in the ocean and had to be revived, but there were still so many questions and only one person who could answer them. 

Considering her phone was out of operation, she sent her otter patronus to Steve with a message reassuring him that she and Tony were alright but there was more work for her to do yet. Then, after casting a heating charm on both herself and her jacket and modifying the borrowed clothes so they fit her more comfortably, she stepped out into the chilly night. 

It wasn’t difficult for her to find the street that Tony had noted down, but she wasn’t expecting to see him stagger out of it and slump suddenly to his knees in the snow. The young boy that came racing after him also took her by surprise. 

“What the hell was that?” the boy asked as Tony scooped up some snow and pressed it into his eyes. 

“That’s just what I was wondering,” Hermione said as Tony threw the snow at the boy.

“Hey, look, your assistant’s woken up,” the boy said and Hermione raised her eyebrows. 

“Your  _ assistant _ ,” she repeated, obviously not impressed and Tony simply shrugged. 

“Well, who are you then?” the boy asked. 

“I’m Saskia,” she introduced, using her S.H.I.E.L.D. name. “I’m…” she sighed, giving in, “Mr Stark’s assistant.” She could tell that the boy didn’t look convinced but didn’t see the point in telling him another lie. “I take it that was your garage I woke up in?”

“Yeah. I’m Harley,” he replied and looked her up and down thoughtfully. “My mom’s clothes fit you a lot better than I thought they would.”

“So, what’s going on here?” she asked quickly to change the subject.

“Nothing,” Tony denied quickly, getting to his feet. “You know, just… fun in the snow!” He tossed another handful at Harley. “Are you feeling OK?” he asked and she knew that  _ he _ was changing the subject this time. 

“Just spiffing,” she said sarcastically, arms crossed over her chest. “You want to tell me what we’re doing here?” 

Tony took a couple of minutes to explain about Chad Davis and the flight plan J.A.R.V.I.S. had made before the attack. Upon further questioning, Harley revealed that Mrs Davis was in the bar. Hermione wanted to go and talk to Mrs Davis instead of Tony, but he pointed out that he knew the details of Chad's death much more than she did and that this was  _ his _ investigation – she just happened to be along for the ride. 

“Actually, The Mandarin is  _ my _ case,” Hermione retorted. 

“Well, you’re not coming in,” Tony argued. “Your snooty accent makes you stick out like a sore thumb.”

“He does have a point,” Harley admitted. “We’ve never had anyone as posh sounding as you around here.” 

Hermione pursed her lips. “Fine. I’ll wait outside – but you’d better tell me everything she says.”

“Do all personal assistants argue back as much as you?” Harley asked her after she bought him a hot chocolate at a nearby shop. 

“It’s what we get paid for,” she replied with a shrug as they wandered down the street. 

“So, what’s it like to work for Iron Man?” he asked eagerly. 

Hermione tilted her head. “I prefer to think of it as working  _ with  _ him,” she corrected. “And as you can tell, there’s never really a dull moment. But there are plenty of headaches too.” 

Harley nodded and blew steadily on his drink to cool it down. 

Gunshots started echoing from the bar and people ran from it, screaming.

“Oh for goodness sake!” Hermione cried in exasperation. “He can’t even go into a bar without getting into trouble.” She turned to Harley, who was looking a bit shocked by the commotion. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”

Hermione ran towards the bar, nearly bumping into Tony as he was on the way out. “Hot woman inside,” he said quickly when he saw her. 

She raised an eyebrow. “Seriously? You’re still checking out women in the middle of all this!”

“No, she’s  _ literally _ hot,” Tony warned, indicating towards the entrance with his head because his hands were handcuffed behind his back. Hermione turned to look and saw a woman whose body, as Tony had said, was plainly glowing red with extreme heat. 

“Woah, OK, that’s new,” she admitted, turning to follow Tony’s lead. 

Another ‘hot’ individual, male this time, climbed out of a car and raised his cup of coffee at Tony in acknowledgement, before throwing its contents on the floor. 

“You take the guy, I’ll have the girl.” Tony called as he turned and sprinted away. The guy raised a gun at Tony’s back and Hermione quickly pulled out her wand to stop him but she was too late to prevent him firing a couple of shots. She twisted, heart in mouth, expecting to see Tony sprawled on the floor but the man had missed. Looking back, she saw him look over to the sidewalk where Harley was hiding behind a telephone pole with a pleased look on his face. Hermione had to keep the man away from him.

She summoned the gun out of his hand and he looked over at her with understanding in his eyes. “So  _ that’s _ what you look like,” he murmured. His body started to glow red and Hermione stunned him before he got the chance to put that heat to bad use. 

“You’re not a personal assistant, are you?” Harley asked with wide, excited eyes as she crouched next to him. “You’re the Sorceress!” 

“Yes, alright, you got me,” she admitted quietly. “Look, I know I told you to stay here but I don’t think that was a good idea after all.” 

“But what about Mr Stark?” Harley asked as the woman they were fighting fired a shotgun into a shop window. 

“I’ll help Tony,” Hermione promised, “ _ you _ go home.” 

A red hand suddenly grabbed her arm and she was launched into the air, towards the road. She used her magic to soften the landing and looked in surprised at the man that she’d supposedly just stunned. For whatever reason, her magic obviously didn’t work too well on him because he was walking menacingly towards her, red once more. 

Hermione sent a blasting hex at his hand and some of the flesh was blown away. However, her mouth gaped open as the flesh became black and ash-covered, and then it appeared as though she’d never hexed it at all. 

She rolled away just before his fist slammed into her and she saw the large dent he made in the car she’d been leaning against. 

Hermione tried again, this time using a sustained freezing charm to cool him down. Steam waved off him as the different temperatures met, but he still advanced on her and Hermione scrambled backwards. How was she supposed to stop this guy? 

She wrapped a strong shield charm around him, hoping that it would contain him, but he simply held his burning hands up to its walls and the shield shattered. 

There wasn’t much choice left. Hermione sent multiple blasting hexes at him and the man finally flew backwards and remained still. She stood, panting for a moment and then banished his body down a side alley. Luckily, the muggles had been scared away by the attacks but she didn’t want to leave a lifeless body in the middle of the road. She was about to follow after him, to check whether he was still alive, but there was an explosion in the building she’d last seen Tony enter. She ran over to it, Harley following behind her. 

“Tony!” she called. A prone figure resting on the powerlines caught her eyes and she gasped. Tony staggered into view, looking a little stunned. 

“Well, I don’t know about you, but that’s warmed me up nicely,” he remarked casually. “Where’s the other guy?” Hermione showed him where the scorched body of her attacker lay but Tony didn’t seem interested in anything other than retrieving car keys from his pocket. “I’m just going to get that file and then we can go,” he said. 

Hermione frowned after him as he made his way back to the bar. “You guys weren’t having fun in the snow when I first saw you, were you?” she said to Harley. The boy chewed this over for a moment, probably deciding what to tell her. “Look, Tony and I might be Avengers together, but we were friends first.” 

“He was having an anxiety attack,” Harley admitted heavily. “He said it was my fault because I was asking questions about New York and the alien rumours.”

Hermione sighed. She wasn’t overly surprised to hear that Tony was having panic attacks given their conversation about his not sleeping a couple of weeks ago, but it obviously upset her to know that he was suffering far worse than she’d previously thought. 

“Thank you for telling me, Harley, but that wasn’t your fault,” she said softly, placing a hand on his shoulder. “I know that events in New York  _ sound _ like the coolest thing ever but if you actually had to go through it, you’d know how truly horrible it was. Sometimes adults get scared too but they try not to show it because they think it makes them weak.” 

“You were scared in New York too? And Captain America and Thor?” he asked.

“We were all terrified,” she nodded.

He paused, as though this hadn’t really occurred to him before. “Then you guys are even more amazing than I thought.” 

She grinned at him. “Here,” she said, reaching into her pocket and pulling out an unmarked packet of Fizzing Whizbees. “I make my own sweets sometimes,” she lied, before adding in a stage whisper. “They make you float off the ground when you eat them.”

“No way!” he said eagerly, accepting the sweets from her. “Do you want anything in return?” 

“No,” she replied, surprised that he’d even ask.

“Oh. Tony asked for quite a lot when he gave me this,” Harley said, holding up a small device. “He said my tuna fish sandwich was passable if you want me to make one for you.”

Hermione shook her head. “I’ll pass, thanks.” 

* * *

“You are such a jerk,” Hermione accused as Tony drove them away after mocking Harley.

“And you’re a complete softie for falling for his act,” he retorted. 

They didn’t really have a destination in mind. Tony was eager to get back to Pepper but Hermione pointed out that there was no rush as long as Pepper knew they were safe. She had a feeling that the Mandarin business would need them elsewhere and until they  _ knew _ where that was going to be, she wasn’t about to magic them all over the country. 

On Tony’s instructions, Hermione started leafing through the report, holding up pieces of paper every now and then for him to glance at. It was about ten minutes into their journey that he noticed the letters AIM. 

“What’s the significance of that?” Hermione asked. 

“Have you heard of them?”

“Of course.”

“Look, the guy behind it all, Aldrich Killian, met with Pepper a couple of days ago. Happy mentioned that he was a little shifty – especially the lackey he had with him. Happy said he was going to investigate him and next thing you know he’s been in a bomb attack. At the scene of the blast, were that guy’s dog tags,” he said, pointing to the picture of Taggart. “But there was no record of his body being there.”

Hermione nodded, seeing the connection.

“I met Killian on New Year’s Eve, 1999, in Switzerland,” he continued. “And that was the same night that I met Maya Hansen.” 

“I see…” she said. That was far too much of a coincidence. 

Tony shook his head. “I need more information. That’s not enough. We’ve got to call Rhodey.” 

Hermione glanced at him in surprise. “ _ We do _ ?” 

“War Machine – ”

“Iron Patriot,” she corrected and he scowled.

“ _ War Machine _ ,” he emphasised, “has pretty much got access to everything. We just need to get his login details to the SatComm.” 

“Hello?” Colonel Rhodes answered the call a couple of minutes later.

“Have you ever had a chick straddling you and you look up and suddenly she’s glowing from the inside out, kind of a bright orange?” Tony asked by way of greeting and Hermione scoffed.

“Yeah, I’ve had that,” came the dry reply. “Who is this?” 

“It’s me, pal,” Tony replied. “Now, last time I went missing, if I remember correctly, you came looking for me. What are you doing?” 

“On my way to do a little knock-and-talk in Pakistan.” 

“Are you asking people about The Mandarin?” Hermione interrupted. “Have you got a possible location?”

“Oh, yeah, Granger’s here, by the way,” Tony added. “Probably should have mentioned that.”

They heard Rhodes sigh. “Yeah, probably. Look, Agent Granger, it’s nothing personal – ” 

“It sounded pretty personal in that meeting,” she pointed out. “I think this would be a different story if I was a native of these shores.” 

Tony glanced over at her. “You wanna go help?” 

“Yes, if Colonel Rhodes lets me. The sooner we find The Mandarin, the better.”

“Where are you heading, Rhodey? Don’t be an idiot – Granger can help.”

“And I’ll even let you take all the credit,” she added lightly.

“ _ I _ don’t care about the credit!” Rhodes objected and then he sighed again. “OK, you can help but let’s just keep this between us.”

“Of course, Colonel,” she agreed before glancing at Tony. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“It’s fine – you come at it from your angle, I’ll come at it from mine, and maybe we’ll meet somewhere in the middle.” 

Colonel Rhodes gave her the coordinates. Pakistan was a pretty long trip so she rooted around for a few items that she could use as portkeys while Tony and Rhodes continued their conversation. 

“My ETA is in five-and-a-half minutes,” Rhodes told her so he could ignore Tony’s laughter at his ‘WAR MACHINE ROX’ password. “Is that going to give you enough time to travel eight thousand miles, Granger?”

“Plenty.” 

Travelling such a great distance was not completely alien to her as she’d had to do similar trips to keep an eye on Bruce Banner last year, but it did take an immense amount of concentration. She stopped off in Northern Venezuela, the Eastern tip of Brazil, the West coast of Africa, the banks of the River Nile and then finally Rhodes’ coordinates in Pakistan. She was waiting for him outside the door when he landed. 

“OK,” he allowed, “I’m impressed.” 

“Well, now that you’ve seen me, I’m going to hide myself. Can’t have me stealing your limelight, can we?” 

“I told you, I don’t care –”

“Relax, I’m only teasing you. I’m camouflaging myself because I don’t want anyone to see my face,” she explained, putting on the disillusionment spell.

“Oh. Well, let’s get on with it then.”

She let him kick in the door and followed behind him, wand raised in preparation. However, it soon became clear that it was a false alarm. There was no sign or word of The Mandarin. 

“What are you going to do?” Rhodes asked her when their search was complete.

“There’s a S.H.I.E.L.D. base not far from here,” she replied. “If we’re as close to finding The Mandarin as you think we are, it’s probably better to remain in the area for a little while longer, assuming, of course, that you’re still going to let me come?” 

“As long as we catch this guy, I’m happy,” Rhodes responded.

“Good,” she nodded. “I’ll find myself a new phone at the base and then get in contact with you.” 

While she was waiting for the next possible Mandarin coordinates to come in, Hermione got back in touch with Tony. He filled her in on the Extremis Project that AIM was responsible for and how the instability of the treatment created the explosions in its subjects. 

Her conversation with Tony had to be cut short when Rhodes informed her of a new possible location for the Mandarin. 

“Are we sure this time?” Hermione asked as she prepared to leave.

“Support Team Blue-Zero think so,” Rhodes replied. “See you there… Well, you know what I mean.” 

Iron Patriot blasted through the front entrance while Hermione apparated to the back. Taking a quick look around at the burka-wearing women who were sitting around sewing machines, Hermione let her wand fall to the side. 

Rhodes deactivated his weapons. “Oh. Support Blue-Zero, unless The Mandarin’s next attack on the U.S involves cheaply-made sportswear, I think you messed up again.” 

The women all rushed excitedly towards Iron Patriot, shaking his hand and fleeing out of the door and Hermione followed more sedately behind them. 

“Yes, you’re free, uh, if you weren’t before,” Rhodes said to the women as they went past and Hermione chuckled. 

“I’m definitely giving you all the credit for this one,” she said teasingly. 

“Very funny,” he responded dryly, before shaking the last woman’s hand. “It’s my pleasure, ma’am.” 

He suddenly grunted and Hermione raised her wand in alarm but the woman turned and wrapped her glowing fingers around it. Hermione yelped as the wand burst into flames and a powerful fist slammed into her head, knocking her out at once. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed. Sorry again for the long wait between updates. Hopefully I've worked through my slump in enthusiasm for posting stories. 
> 
> Keep safe, everyone.
> 
> Red


	23. Chapter 23

So, the  _ bad _ news was that he was a prisoner in Killian’s Miami compound, Granger was a drugged up heap on the floor, The Mandarin was just an actor, Maya Hansen was dead and, worst of all, Pepper had been injected with the Extremis serum and there was a very strong possibility that she would explode. 

The  _ good _ news was… OK, there was no good news. 

“Tony, what’s up with my hand?” Granger asked, her speech slurred, as she waved the limb slowly in front of her eyes. “It’s all shiny.” 

Under  _ very _ different circumstances, Tony would have found a spaced-out Granger highly amusing, but when Killian had done it against her will to stop her coming to her senses and vanishing away to get help, it wasn’t so funny. Killian had gleefully revealed to Tony that he had big plans for his newly acquired Sorceress once he’d gotten the evening’s proceedings out of the way. Tony had a horrible feeling that all manner of samples from Granger’s body were winging their way to various AIM facilities for testing. If Killian ever allowed her to be sober again, Tony knew that Granger would completely flip out at the prospect of her secrets being unravelled. 

“Your hand’s badly burnt,” Tony reminded her for what felt like the twentieth time. “Try and leave it alone.” 

Granger let her hand fall back to the floor with a soft whack. She rolled onto her back and closed her eyes. “I miss Steve,” she murmured. 

“Yeah, me too,” Tony admitted seriously. “He’d been very useful to have around right now. Granger, do me a favour and roll onto your side.” The steady rise and fall of her chest and lack of movement told him that she’d already fallen asleep. He looked up at the two men who were guarding them. “Hey, guys, come on, roll her over. Your boss isn’t going to be happy if he finds out she choked to death on her own vomit.” 

They stared balefully at him for a moment and then one of them reluctantly got to his feet and used his shoe to nudge her onto her front. 

“You’re just full of compassion, aren’t you?” Tony muttered. 

His borrowed Dora the Explorer watch started beeping. 

Finally, there was some good news.

After he’d managed to fend off the guards in the room and the others who appeared at all the commotion, Tony was surprised to find that Granger had managed to sleep through the whole thing. More parts of his suit pinged into place as he knelt down next to her to check that she was all right. 

“Granger,” he said loudly, shaking her. 

She opened a bleary eye. “I’m glad that you support Gryffindor,” she mumbled. “Red and gold for the win.” 

“Right,” he muttered, not having a clue what she was talking about. “I’ve gotta go save Pepper. You don’t happen to have a magic potion that’s going to sober you up, do you?” He didn’t want to leave her here in this state but he might not have any choice if he wanted to stop Killian. 

She ran her hand clumsily down his face. “You’re my friend,” she slurred happily. 

“Yeah, great. So the potion, yes or no?”

“I hope you won’t hate me.”

“Why would I hate you?” She didn’t answer him but just looked at him sadly. “Granger?”

“Because of the lies.” 

He frowned at her for a moment but shook his head. He didn’t have time for this now. The last parts of his suit soared through the window. “Not this time. Not the face.” He held out a hand to grab the mask before it broke his nose and then slotted it place. “Phew, it’s good to be back. Hello, by the way.”

“Oh, hello, sir,” J.A.R.V.I.S replied amiably. 

Tony spotted Granger’s jacket on the table and dragged it over to her. He put his hand in her magic pocket and pulled out a handful of items. He held up the first potion he could see.

“What’s this?” he asked, nudging her to make her eyes open. “Come on, I need you to concentrate. If you identify them correctly, you may win a prize called sobriety.” 

Granger tried to focus on the vial he was holding in front of her face. “Blood replenisher,” she said. He showed her two other vials which she looked blearily at. “Truth serum and Polyjuice potion.” He delved into the deceptive pocket again and held up a trio of coloured bottles. “Calming draught, Essence of Dittany and an antidote to common poisons.” 

“Do you think this one might work?” he asked, holding up the antidote. The drugs in her system were very similar to a poison after all. She shrugged, looking like she might fall asleep again. It was a risk, he knew that, but she sounded like she knew what she was talking about when it came to the potions. “J.A.R.V.I.S?” he asked, letting the system scan the liquid.

“I can’t determine all the ingredients, sir, but it appears non-toxic.”

That was good enough for Tony. He unscrewed the lid and helped her sit up so she could drink it. 

A call came in on his suit and he answered it. 

“Tony,” said a familiar voice.

“Rhodey, please tell me that they didn’t get you when they got Granger.”

“Ah, sorry. They’ve taken my suit. Have you got yours?” 

“Yeah, well, kind of,” he replied when he noticed that his flight power was out of operation again. “Main house, as fast as you can. There’s someone I’d like you to meet.” 

* * *

The Mandarin was just an actor. 

In her somewhat fuzzy, post-drugs brain, that thought still radiated like a klaxon. She stared grimly at Trevor Slattery, pitying his feeble, narcotic-addicted life. 

Tony suddenly appeared in front of her. “You up to a bit of magical transport?”

“What?” she frowned, realising she’d missed a significant part of the conversation. 

“OK, well, that’s a no,” Rhodes said. “I’m not letting her take me anywhere when she can barely see straight.” 

Tony gazed at her in concern. “Have you got anything else you can take to get yourself better?” 

She nodded. “But I can’t take too many potions at once.” 

Tony turned back to Slattery. “Hey, Ringo. Didn’t you say something about a lovely speedboat?” 

The fresh air and follow up potion had her feeling almost back to herself. Her burned hand was incredibly sore so she covered it in healing paste in the hopes that most of the damage would be soothed. 

Hermione mourned the loss of the wand she’d had ever since her first visit to Diagon Alley. She’d been through so much with it over the years. She always kept a spare in her pocket that she could use and she’d trained with it many times to familiarise herself with it, but it would take time for her to feel perfectly comfortable. 

She felt bad that she wasn’t able to help Tony with rescuing the President on Air Force One. He’d shut himself in the speed boat’s cabin and was operating his suit remotely. 

“That’s not good,” Rhodes muttered. 

Hermione turned her gaze to where he was looking, shielding her eyes against the blinding sun. Thousands of feet above them, the Presidential Plane had just exploded. 

Hermione hung her head in her hands at the loss of life. Aldrich Killian had a  _ lot _ to answer for. 

“Wait, I see something…” Rhodes said, sounding confused. “You have got to be kidding me.” 

“What is it?” she asked, peering into the sky again. She gasped when she saw the human chain Tony was making of survivors from the plane as they fell down to earth. 

She retrieved her new wand from her pocket despite the stinging from her burns and apparated to be closer to their possible point of impact. She cast various momentum stopping and levitation spells to slow their progress to the water below, and watched in relief as Tony deposited them safely into the water. 

Any grogginess she’d been feeling was truly swept away by the adrenaline rush and she apparated back to the boat in greater spirits. The look on Tony’s face was  _ not _ so happy. 

“What’s wrong?” she asked in concern.

“I lost the suit… and the President.” 

“Oh.” 

Rhodes turned away with a shake off his head.

“Do you want me to go back to Malibu and get you a new suit?” she offered. “I think I’m up to the journey now.” 

Tony held up a hand. “Hold your horses, Granger. Say, J.A.R.V.I.S, is it that time?”

“The ‘House Party’ protocol, sir?” 

“Correct.” 

“And what, pray tell, is the ‘House Party’ protocol?” she asked suspiciously. 

“I’ve just invited a few friends over to share the Miami sunshine with us,” he shrugged casually. 

“I see. How long is it going to take for these ‘friends’ to get here?” she enquired. 

“Long enough for us to get to Pepper’s destination and your hand to heal up a bit more.” 

Hermione nodded. Saving Pepper was hugely important but it made sense for them not to rush into things if Tony was able to call some backup. Plus, the more time she could have to recover, the better. 

Night fell as they journeyed to the impounded oil-drilling platform and discussed their plans. Hermione disillusioned each man in turn and armed them with small bottles of exploding potion. “It’s going to be hard to communicate with each other,” she warned them, “but let’s try not to shoot each other.” 

“How are we supposed to do that when we’re practically invisible?” Rhodes asked. 

“Do you want me to take the spell off?” she enquired testily, hand on hip.

“No,” he muttered lowly and Tony sniggered. 

She spent a couple of minutes making multiple duplicates of the ammunition they had with them so that they’d be less likely to run out. 

“They might not be as effective as the real bullets but it won’t affect the firing of the weapon,” she explained, passing the ammunition to a rather stunned Rhodes. 

“Um, thanks,” he said eventually. 

Infiltrating the oil platform was ridiculously easy in their disillusioned states. For the moment, they had agreed to stay together until they could formulate a better plan. 

“Tony, they might not be able to see us, but could you try not to walk so heavily?” she whispered. “They’re going to hear you.”

“I’m not used to being subtle,” he retorted.

“You got that right,” Rhodes sighed. 

They continued further into the centre of the platform until they caught sight of the President strung up in the Iron Patriot suit over an oil tanker. 

“Oh my God,” Rhodes breathed. “They’re going to light him up.”

“Viking funeral,” Tony agreed. “Public execution.” 

“Yeah, death by oil,” Rhodes added.

“We’ll see about that,” Hermione muttered. “Colonel, if you get yourself back down to the speed boat in the next minute, you can be reacquainted with your suit,” she promised. 

There was silence for a moment and then Rhodes said, “That works for me.” 

“And what do I do?” Tony asked.

“Wait for your backup and try not to get shot,” she instructed calmly. 

“Ugh,  _ boring _ ,” he muttered. 

Hermione disapparated before he got the chance to object any further. She reappeared next to the President and quickly reached out to wrap her arms around the suit. His eyes flew open in shock at the extra weight but Hermione sent severing hexes at the two cables that kept them aloft. They started to plummet down to the oil tanker but Hermione twisted with intense concentration, aware that Rhodes would be very annoyed if anything happened to the President or his suit. 

They landed in the speed boat as an alarm blared out around the platform. 

“Wh-what’s happening?” the President asked in a panicked voice, unable to see her. 

“Don’t worry, Mr President, sir,” she soothed. “You’re going to be fine.” 

“Who are you?”

“That’s the Sorceress, sir,” Rhodes explained breathlessly as he re-boarded their boat. “We’re here to get you to safety, but first, I need my suit back.” 

President Ellis seemed to take this all in quite well for someone who’d just had their first taste of magic, and let Rhodes help him out of the Iron Patriot suit as gunshots echoed back up on the platform. 

“Are you sure it’s all right for me to take him?” she asked Rhodes as the suit began to click into place around him. 

“Once he’s safe, come back,” Rhodes confirmed. “Tony’s still going to need us. I’ll give everyone the heads up that you’re on your way.”

“Mr President, I don’t know if you had a more exotic location in mind for your Christmas dinner, but I’m taking you back to the White House,” she explained calmly. 

He looked surprised at her words but nodded. “Let’s go.” 

She took his hand and apparated them first to Charlotte and then into the Oval Office itself. He stared around the familiar room with wide eyes then staggered into one of the seats. 

One of the doors was flung open and two men raced in, weapons raised. They gaped when they saw the President, and Hermione took the opportunity to disapparate while they were suitably distracted. 

When she returned to Miami a few moments later, she was shocked at the chaos that had unfolded in her absence. Iron Man suits - too many to count - zoomed all around her, taking on Killian’s men. Tony might not have been getting much sleep in the last few months but he’d certainly not been idle in that time.

Where the real Tony was, she had no idea, and nor did she know Pepper’s location. Her only choice was to join in the fight with the Extremis soldiers and keep her eyes open for any developments. Employing her flying method of apparation, she soared around the platform, sending extremely forceful blasting hexes as she went. There was too much pandemonium around for her to know for sure whether any of her spells proved fatal and that suited her just fine. Killing the aliens in New York had been hard enough but these were fellow human beings. However, they were intent on destroying her friends and terrorizing the world, just like the Chitauri, and that was enough cause for her to push her conscience aside. 

She looped around the platform, grimly pleased to see that the number of opponents had greatly diminished. 

A loud scream made her turn just in time to see Pepper disappear into a huge, blazing fire. Hermione stared, heart pumping painfully, hoping that her eyes had been playing tricks on her. That hadn’t happened. Pepper was here somewhere. Tony had rescued her. 

She searched around again, desperately looking for signs of her friends – she hated not being able to communicate with them! 

Finally, Hermione spotted Aldrich Killian furiously fighting with one of the Iron Man suits. Tony had to be there. She apparated closer to them, but not too close; their battle was so violent and intense that there was a strong possibility she would accidentally get in the way. A split second after she landed, Tony ejected himself from his suit to avoid the scorching fist that Killian was about to send into his chest. She sent a trio of blasting hexes at Killian that his impressive reflexes were just about able to avoid. 

“Is that all you’ve got, Sorceress?” he challenged arrogantly. 

Another suit shot up from below them, grabbing Killian as it went. 

“Stay out of this, Granger,” Tony’s voice called firmly. 

Hermione scowled. He expected her to just stand around and watch him fight a battle to the death with a man who could slice through his suits like they were  _ butter _ ? 

She tracked their progress and followed them up to a higher part of the platform, ready to intervene despite Tony’s order. Curses and hexes were constantly on the tip of her tongue as Killian maintained the upper hand in their battle. Hermione forced herself to believe that Tony could do this, that she wouldn’t regret not blasting Killian when his back was turned. 

The latest suit was soon destroyed and, trying to perceive Tony, Hermione appreciated how strange it was for others to try and talk with her when she was under the disillusionment charm. Unfortunately, this didn’t seem to put Killian off. He stood dominantly above Tony, like a warrior who knew his victory was almost complete – especially when the incoming Mark 42 smashed rather spectacularly on arrival. 

“You really didn’t deserve her, Tony,” Killian said. The truth that Hermione had been denying swept painfully through her chest. Pepper was truly gone… “It’s a pity,” Killian continued. “I was so close to having her perfect.” He jumped confidently down to the same level as Tony. 

“OK, OK, wait!” Tony said hurriedly. “Slow down! You’re right. I don’t deserve her. Here’s where you’re wrong – she was already perfect.” He waved his arm as Killian advanced, fist raised, and contained him in the Mark 42, trapping him against the platform. “J.A.R.V.I.S, do me a favour and blow Mark 42.”

Killian screamed in rage. Hermione wasn’t sure whether Tony wanted to make a macho descent to the ground or he just didn’t realise she was there, but he jumped off the platform, sliding down the metalwork on his side. Hermione disapparated just before the suit exploded, looking up for Tony when she reappeared. 

Iron Patriot soared above her, plucking something from out of the sky. He landed next to her, half an Iron Man suit in his grasp. Hermione sent up a protective shield to keep away the burning metal that was raining down on them. She tapped experimentally at the space around the Iron Man suit, successfully finding a part of Tony to reverse the camouflage. At the sight of his battered and haunted face, a part of her wished she hadn’t.

“Oh, Tony…” She resisted the very strong urge to hug him, knowing that he wouldn’t appreciate it. 

“I’m sorry, man,” Rhodes said, laying a hand on Tony’s shoulder and helping him to his feet. 

A creaking noise came from behind them and Hermione turned, nerves jangling, hoping that it was just the platform. A figure stirred amongst the flames and she gasped. It staggered towards them, all ash and flame, but there was no doubt that it was Killian. How had he managed to survive that?! 

“No more false faces,” he said hoarsely. “You three wanted the Mandarin. You’re looking right at him.” His body glowed more brightly than ever and Hermione could feel the intense heat radiating from him. “ _ I am the Mandarin! _ ” Killian cried. 

A blasting curse was on the tip of her tongue when Killian was suddenly propelled sideways and he slammed forcefully into a wall. 

She, Tony and Rhodes gaped at the glowing person who was holding the long industrial pipe that was responsible for launching Killian: it was Pepper. She gazed back at them, breathing heavily, and apart from the light radiating from her skin and eyes she looked remarkably well for someone who had taken a two hundred foot drop into a blazing inferno.

“I got nothing,” Tony said blankly, still staring at Pepper in utter shock, and Hermione slowly nodded her head mutely in agreement.

One of the Iron Man suits soared through the sky and they all realized it was locked onto the heat signature that Pepper was radiating due to the Extremis virus.

“J.A.R.V.I.S, subject at my twelve o’clock is not a target, disengage!” Tony said urgently but neither Hermione nor Rhodes waited for his order to be followed. The combination of his repulsor and her spell easily tore the suit apart. 

Pepper glared at Tony and he looked at her somewhat guiltily. 

Killian lurched into view once more and the four of them looked between each other. 

Pepper glanced down and saw one of the suit’s small missiles at her feet. She threw it at Killian and Rhodes detonated it with a blast from Iron Patriot. Hermione quickly spelled a protective shield to protect them from the fiery explosion that followed. And, when the flames and smoke were blown away a few seconds later, there was nothing left of Aldrich Killian.

* * *

“Are you really going to spend your Christmas Day in here?” Hermione’s voice called softly behind him. Steve turned away from the punch bag, relief flooding through him. 

“Oh, thank God,” he breathed, drinking in the sight of her standing, relatively unharmed, before him. Steve enveloped her in his arms tightly despite the bindings that were wrapped around his hands. They just stood there for a couple of minutes, making the most of being together, knowing that next time they might not be so lucky. 

“Are you OK?” he murmured eventually. “What happened? There was no word from you for twenty-four hours.” He didn’t point out how worried he’d been because that went without saying. Hermione might be the most capable person he’d ever met but that didn’t prevent his concern. Sometimes his old fear that they were making a mistake, that they were courting disaster by letting each other in, would rear its ugly head. But Steve knew that the time had long since passed when he would be able, and willing, to unravel the thread that tied Hermione so closely to him. 

He sensed Hermione lean backwards and he shifted his hands to the small of her back, not willing to let go of her just yet. “I’m fine,” she nodded with a weak smile. “We had a couple of close calls and there’s still a bit of concern about Pepper, but the Mandarin has been stopped.” 

“What happened to Pepper?” he asked in concern.

“It’s a long story,” she replied with a sigh, resting her cheek against the top of his chest. “But Tony is confident he can fix her.”

“Uh, good,” he said, not quite able to put that comment into context. 

“I just portkeyed them up to New York,” she continued. “Tony said we were welcome to have Christmas dinner with them as long as we brought some food.”

Steve chuckled. “Hmmm. Well, the last holiday meal we had with him went  _ so _ well,” he pointed out sarcastically, recalling the unexpected outing of their relationship at Thanksgiving. She looked up at him, her beautiful brown eyes sparkling with amusement and he couldn’t resist pressing his lips against hers for a few seconds. She put a hand to his cheek and he flinched at the extreme coolness of her touch.

“Sorry,” she mumbled against his lips. “My hand got a little burnt.” Steve pulled back and took her palm in his hands, looking in concern at the orange paste that she’d covered it in. “My wand burst into flames while I was still holding it,” Hermione explained lightly, seemingly unaffected by the event. “Unfortunately that means I’m onto my third wand. Tony’s soon going to get suspicious of my seemingly inexhaustible supply of family heirlooms.” 

Steve kept his mouth closed. He fully respected her right to keep her magical world a secret and knew that he was privileged to know as much about it as he did, but that didn’t mean that he liked the deception. He knew that Hermione hated all the lies too and he still hoped that one day she would be able to live freely wherever she went, rather than keep up all her different façades. 

Steve was confident that with him there was no façade. He trusted that Hermione was completely honest with him even though he was aware that there was a huge part of her life, both past and present, that he knew very little about. He didn’t need to know all of her secrets to recognise who Hermione was inside. 

He raised her hand to his mouth, kissing her wrist tenderly, and he didn’t miss the way her breath hitched in her throat.

“Um,” she frowned and shook her head, her cheeks reddening. “What was I saying?” She sounded a little flustered and Steve tried not to feel too pleased at the effect he’d had on her – God knew she’d done it plenty of times to  _ him _ and she didn’t even realise it most of the time. 

“I love you.”

Steve froze. 

He hadn’t meant to say that. 

He’d barely been aware of the words registering in his brain before they left his lips. 

Hermione’s eyes widened in surprise, and panic crept up his chest. Why was this moment far more petrifying than facing an army of alien invaders? 

Steve knew that what he’d said was true: he  _ did _ love Hermione. But he had never intended to just blurt it out like that when they were standing next to a punch bag in the middle of a significantly unromantic gymnasium while he was all sweaty, and she’d just returned from apprehending an international terrorist, complete with anti-burn paste covering her hand and scorched, tattered clothes.  _ Smooth move, Rogers _ , he scolded himself. 

He opened his mouth, intending to downplay the comment, or make a joke, or just say  _ anything _ to break the stunned silence he’d brought between them, but the traitorous connection between his brain and mouth had now completely broken down.

“I love you too.” 

If it wasn’t for the beatific smile on Hermione’s face, Steve would have come to the conclusion that his hearing of those words was purely wishful thinking. But the gleeful way she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his disbelieving face down to hers soon sealed his relief and he kissed her eagerly, his heart lighter than at any moment he could recall in his entire life. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. I know that it was a quick journey through Iron Man 3 but I have a feeling that's partly because I'm not overly fond of it as a film - or the other Iron Man films. Strange, because I really love writing Tony.
> 
> Anyway, in my head Tony doesn't destroy all his suits in this version because I know people who really hated that part! 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed the update. 
> 
> Keep safe.
> 
> Lil Drop of Magic


	24. Chapter 24

“What’s Gryffindor?” Tony asked as soon as Granger answered his call. 

Her brows creased in confusion. “What did you just say?”

“ _ Gryffindor _ ,” he repeated, pronouncing the word clearly. “When Killian had you drugged up, you said you were glad that I supported Gryffindor because my suit was red and gold. J.A.R.V.I.S. couldn’t find a mention of the word anywhere.” 

“Well, that’s hardly surprising,” she answered smoothly. “Gryffindor was the name of the boarding house I stayed in at school – their colours are red and gold.”

“Oh,” Tony replied, a little disappointed by the answer, and then he frowned. “But isn’t it a bit odd that there was no trace of it whatsoever? What was your school called?” 

“Tony, what is this about?” she asked and he didn’t fail to notice that she was deflecting his question. “Don’t you have anything better to do than snoop around my childhood?”

“Apparently not,” he replied loftily. “I’m taking an extended break from my suits, Pepper’s at work and you’re too busy doing whatever you’re doing to come and work on  _ Stranger Enterprises _ with me. My mind just happened to drift back to the events of last month and I remembered the things you said when you were off your face.” 

Looking slightly concerned, her eyes searched his face for a moment. “What other things did I say?” 

He paused, wondering whether to tell her or not.

If, like she’d admitted, she  _ was _ lying to him, then he had a right to know. Sure, he wasn’t the most moral person in the world but he didn’t appreciate the idea of Miss holier-than-thou Sorceress deceiving him in such a way. And who was to say that she was only lying to him? How far did the deceptions spread? Was she fooling Pepper too? And what about S.H.I.E.L.D. and her beloved Steve? It wasn’t as though Tony actually knew a great deal about her anyway. Everything he  _ did _ know had been told to him  _ by her _ . The idea that the person he knew as Hermione Granger could be nothing but a huge lie made him feel sick and dirty. 

But then he told himself to get a grip because he was probably overreacting. After all, there could be a very good reason that she wasn’t being completely truthful with him.

Tony could count on one hand the number of people he felt genuine, friendly affection for and the young woman on his screen was one of them. He didn’t want to lose her friendship. There was every chance that what she’d said was nothing but nonsense that the drugs in her system had made up. If he chose, he could convince himself to believe that and then he’d be able to carry on his relationship with her as normal. 

“Tony, what else did I say?” she pressed. 

Maybe his recent experiences had made him sentimental but, looking at Granger, Tony felt confident that he  _ did _ know the true her. They’d been through so much together over the last year and a half, and it was in those tight spots that you saw what lay at a person’s core. Tony trusted what he’d seen of Hermione’s and hoped he didn’t come to regret his decision. 

“That I was the sexiest man you’d ever seen,” he claimed semi-seriously. 

She snorted derisively. “ _ You wish _ .”

* * *

Steve had experienced his fair share of strange situations: super-soldier serum, waking up sixty years in the future, Norse gods, and aliens invading the planet. But spending a day with Hermione in  _ her _ world was definitely right up there in the strangeness stakes. 

They were in the UK for a couple of days to get a house set up for Hermione’s parents, who were soon arriving back in the country after Hermione had reversed the longstanding memory spell a couple of months ago. Steve had never seen Hermione so anxious in the days leading up to their trip to Sydney, and he was immensely proud of her for having the courage to face up to her fears and admit to her parents what she’d done. Her concerns that they’d reject her because of the extreme methods she’d employed had been unfounded. Yes, they’d been shocked and a little cross that Hermione had performed magic on them without their consent, but the sheer joy at seeing her safe and back in their lives quickly swept that aside.

The four of them had spent a few enjoyable days soaking up the Australian summer sun and getting to know each other. Hermione told her parents a slightly watered-down version of her job at S.H.I.E.L.D. (which she confided in Steve was more about preventing them from worrying, rather than straight forward deceit) and if Mr and Mrs Granger knew that he was Captain America, they didn’t bring it up and nor did Steve. It hadn’t taken the Grangers long to decide to move back to the UK, particularly when they realised that they had opened a candy store in Sydney - a far cry from their previous profession as dentists! 

Unsurprisingly, decorating and furnishing a house when your girlfriend was a witch was ridiculously easy, and Mr and Mrs Granger’s new home was ready very quickly. 

The other purpose of Steve and Hermione’s trip was to introduce him to a couple of her friends. It had been her idea, of course, as he never pushed her when it came to revealing parts of her life (no matter how curious he was) and he could tell that this was a big step on her part. He wished that he could show a similar level of trust by introducing her to  _ his _ friends, but all of them were either dead or already acquainted with her. They both visited Peggy frequently and Hermione continued to secret potions into Peggy’s tea to help slow down her Alzheimer’s disease (something she’d been doing ever since she’d discovered that a founding member of S.H.I.E.L.D. was still alive, as a mark of admiration and respect to the retired agent.) and it hadn’t taken Peggy long to work out who Hermione really was. 

Steve had already met Harry on a couple of occasions, but that had been in the midst of Loki’s attempt on world domination: socialising with his girlfriend’s best friend were slightly different circumstances, and ones that Steve was totally unfamiliar with. Steve’s apprehension wasn’t eased when Hermione revealed that her other best friend, Ron, was also her ex-boyfriend and that he, too, would be present. 

“Ron is one of the most important people in the world to me,” Hermione had said, making Steve feel uncomfortable, “but he… can let his emotions get the better of him sometimes,” she continued delicately. “He’s hasn’t encountered many non-magical people and he might say something stupid to make himself feel more comfortable.” She frowned. “I think he’ll find you very intimidating.” 

Steve wasn’t sure if it was an automatic response to dislike your girlfriend’s previous romantic partners (he had a feeling that it was) but he resolved to do his best to get along with Ron. However, Steve was somewhat reassured by the news that Ron had a girlfriend of his own called Katie. 

Steve surprised himself by being able to forget about the upcoming gathering for most of the day – but that wasn’t so hard when Hermione took him to a secret magical street in the middle of London to do some shopping.

It was certainly a day of big steps.

“But won’t you get in trouble?” Steve asked when Hermione broached the idea.

“Muggle visitors to Diagon Alley are rare,” she allowed, “but it does happen.” Steve looked at her closely, unconvinced. “OK, it’s mostly just when parents accompany their muggleborn children,” she admitted. “But I told you, you’re different - the Minister for Magic has accepted you as being the official muggle liaison to Wizarding Britain. And, as such, that comes with privileges.”

Steve suspected that she’d had to lobby quite hard and use all her powers of persuasion for him to be made acceptable to the Minister, who probably would’ve rather had Steve’s memory wiped. How much the Minister knew about him or his relationship with Hermione, Steve didn’t know, and nor did he wish to. Hermione, though, seemed satisfied with the arrangement. Steve simply trusted that she knew what she was doing and so allowed her to take him to Diagon Alley (not that he needed much persuasion). 

He was completely taken aback by the extent of their magic society: their wide range of shops and stalls, fashions and tastes. They even had a currency and their own bank. But he had discovered that this paled in comparison to the shocking revelation that the building was run by goblins. 

Hermione had looked very reluctant to enter the bank as they ascended the marble steps to the strangely crooked, white building. 

“What’s wrong?” he asked, noticing her trepidation despite his astonishment at everything around him. 

“I don’t have particularly fond memories of this place,” she muttered darkly and then sighed and smiled grimly at him. “I’ll tell you all about it one day, I promise.” 

He squeezed her hand comfortingly, wondering what was preventing her from sharing more about herself. If she was willing to take him so deeply into her world, what other barriers stood in her way from telling him everything? 

He was used to adrenaline-fuelled adventures but he had to admit that the journey down to her bank vault certainly came with a rush. 

“This is all crazy,” he muttered, looking around at the vehicle that had taken them miles under London, the gloomy recess they were in, the goblin waiting to take them back and the assortment of coins that were stacked in her vault.

She sent him a sharp, worried glance. “You think I shouldn’t have shown you?” 

“What? No, of course not!” he objected. “It’s crazy, yes, but…” He shook his head in wonder. “It’s amazing.” 

She let out a shaky breath and finished scooping coins into her purse. When she stood, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and kissed her temple. “ _ You’re _ amazing.” 

Hermione scoffed at that. “Hardly. You’ve seen it now - there are plenty of others just like me. I’m really not that special – I’m just a liar.” She lifted her foot to step into the cart and he pulled her backwards away from the goblin. She stared down at her shoes and he gazed at her in concern, wondering what had suddenly brought on this insecurity. 

“Do you think I only love you because you’re a witch?” he asked quietly. “That every day I don’t see what a kind, loving, passionate person you are? Someone who would carry the weight of an entire society of people on her shoulders and protect them from the rest of the world? Someone who would do  _ anything _ for the ones she loved?”

Hermione trembled at his words and a couple of tears slid down her cheeks, but she quickly wiped them away. “I’m sorry, I’m being silly,” she said thickly, giving him a watery smile. “It’s just having you here, being a part of all this, is pretty overwhelming. I’ve wanted to show you for so long and now it’s real.” She squeezed his hand as though to confirm that this wasn’t a dream. “I’ve had to separate my life into different parts, but everything’s starting to come back together. I’m becoming whole again. Because of you.” 

The loving kiss that followed these words was only interrupted by the goblin loudly clearing his throat.

The remainder of their shopping trip was much more light-hearted as they eagerly went from shop to shop so that Steve could see as much as possible. It was bizarre that Diagon Alley, with its apothecary, quills and narrow paved streets, had made him feel like he’d stepped back to a time before even he was born. It was fascinating to see people buying potion ingredients and books about spells as though this was a normal, everyday thing. Unsurprisingly, Hermione bought plenty of these items herself but they also had fun picking out candy to try later that day. 

For some reason, it didn’t occur to the people in Diagon Alley that Steve wasn’t magical too because they just heard one word of his American accent and assumed that his ignorance was borne of his nationality. Perhaps wizarding life in the States was rather different. It hadn’t taken him long to figure out that magic existed worldwide but Hermione had impressed upon him the need for discretion about that fact – apparently it was important that Nick Fury be kept in the dark. 

Many of the shopkeepers knew Hermione by name and treated her with much greater respect than they did their other customers. It became quite clear that she was well-known and admired in her magical world, but Steve didn’t really know why. He had a feeling that her denial of being special amongst her fellow witches and wizards wasn’t entirely true. 

In Diagon Alley’s most chaotic shop, Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes, they amused themselves by discussing which of the various joke products they would use on their fellow Avengers. 

“Hang on, Hermione Granger is actually considering pranking someone?” a shocked voice said behind them. “Doth my one ear deceive me?” The speaker was a tall red-haired man with, as he said, only one ear. Hermione smiled warmly when she saw him. 

“Very funny,” she said dryly. 

“I should think so, otherwise I’m out of a business,” the man replied brightly. 

“Steve, this is George Weasley, owner of this questionable establishment,” Hermione teased and then her voice became serious. “Do not touch a single thing he offers to you if you want to leave this shop looking the same as when you came in.” 

“I would act offended but she knows me too well,” George admitted to Steve, holding out his hand. “Nice to meet you, mate.” 

“Yeah, you too.” Steve automatically shook George’s hand, forgetting Hermione’s warning, and his hand promptly disappeared. “Woah.”

Hermione clicked her tongue in disapproval but George grinned widely. “Don’t worry, it’ll wear off in a minute. It’s a new product we’re promoting.” 

“How does it work?” Hermione asked, looking thoughtfully at the empty space where Steve’s hand should be. “Is it an invisibility spell or a vanishing charm?” Both of those options sounded the same to Steve.

“A gentleman never tells,” George replied, tapping his nose in a secretive fashion and making it disappear too. Hermione and Steve couldn’t help but laugh as George’s eyes crossed as he tried to see what had happened. It was rather an odd spectacle. “Like I said, it’s new. It takes a bit of getting used to. So, are you two interested in anything in particular?” George’s eyes roamed over Steve’s physique. “Something tells me you’re not going to be needing any of our ‘Muscle-me-up Mixture’. Way to upgrade after my brother, Granger!” 

Hermione rolled her eyes at his comment and Steve realised who George’s brother must be. He was soon to discover that you couldn’t go far in British wizarding society without coming upon a Weasley.

That afternoon, they went to watch the broomstick sport that Hermione had told him about all those months ago at the Mets game. The match was between the Holyhead Harpies and Caerphilly Catapults and featured  _ Ginny _ Weasley on the Harpies team. Steve was able to pick up the basics of the game pretty easily and he watched, captivated, as the players zoomed around the sky, competing at high, and sometimes brutal, intensity. 

“So, if no one catches the little gold ball, they really carry on playing through the night?” Steve asked Hermione after forty-five minutes of the match had passed. He wasn’t bored by any means, but it sounded absurd that they could be there for hours yet without the match being over. 

Hermione nodded, her face showing exactly how ridiculous she found that rule. “But it’s rare for them to go on that long.” Ginny scored a goal for the Harpies and Hermione cheered and applauded loudly as they took the lead. “I know Ginny will be really annoyed if it isn’t finished before dinner, she’s really looking forward to meeting you.” 

Twenty minutes later, the game was over when the Catapults’ Seeker caught the Golden Snitch (Steve was beginning to get a handle on the terminology). He and Hermione travelled down to the changing rooms to wait for Ginny. 

“Does this member of the Weasley family come with any warning?” Steve asked, thinking back on what she’d said about both Ron and George. 

Hermione laughed. “No, not this time.” 

There was a hearty scowl on Ginny’s face as she left the changing room with her broomstick slung over her shoulder, no doubt due to her team’s loss, but that soon transformed into a wide grin when she saw Hermione waiting for her, and the two women embraced warmly. “Sorry you saw such a rubbish game,” Ginny muttered as they pulled apart. “We should’ve won comfortably.” Ginny turned to Steve and her eyes widened in surprise. “Wow. You are possibly the most gorgeous man I’ve ever seen.” She turned back to Hermione. “What in Godric’s name is he doing with you?” she teased and Hermione pushed her lightly. 

“Hands off, he’s mine,” Hermione warned, circling her arm around his waist. 

“Sure am,” Steve agreed, resting his hand against her back. 

Ginny wrinkled her nose. “You two are disgustingly cute together.” 

After Hermione introduced them properly, they walked over to the apparation site so they could travel to Harry’s house for dinner. 

“I guess all of this must be a lot for you to take in,” Ginny commented, looking curiously at Steve, aware of his lack of magic after Hermione had told her about his liaison role. 

He nodded. “You could say that, but Hermione’s been breaking me in gently,” he explained and Ginny smirked.

“Oh, has she?” she enquired with a raised eyebrow.

“Don’t be vulgar,” Hermione chided and Ginny laughed. 

“Sorry, I’m still in Quidditch mode,” she replied. “Our changing room is not for the easily offended. Did you enjoy the game?” she asked Steve. He assured her that he did and they spent a few minutes discussing the key points of the match. She even offered to let him have a try on her broom once they got to Harry’s, something that he couldn’t resist accepting. 

“I don’t even know if muggles can ride brooms,” Ginny murmured looking at Steve thoughtfully before turning to Hermione. “Do you know?”

She shook her head. “I’ve got absolutely no idea.” 

There was a lull in the conversation and then Ginny suddenly said, “You know I don’t believe your story about the animal study, right?” referring to Hermione’s cover story to her friends about her job. 

Hermione’s hand tightened in Steve’s and she looked at Ginny with alarm. “What are you talking about?”

Ginny frowned at her. “Look, it’s OK. I know you wouldn’t be lying about it if it wasn’t important, but, just… don’t.” 

Hermione stared at the ground. This wasn’t the sort of conversation that Steve wanted to be present for, but he gave her hand a comforting squeeze.

“I’m sorry, Ginny,” Hermione said meekly, looking her friend in the eye. “It’s not been my choice, I promise.” 

Ginny nodded stiffly. “I believe you,” she replied and then her features softened. “I just wish I knew what you were really doing – it’s got to be something interesting for you to be this secretive!” 

Hermione smiled. “Interesting is one word for it,” she allowed. “I can’t go into details but,” she raised the hand that was joined with Steve’s, “suffice to say it involves working with muggles.” 

Ginny nodded. “And are they all as good-looking as you?” she asked Steve with a grin. “Not that I’m in the market or anything, I’m just curious.” 

“Uh, I wouldn’t really know how to answer that,” Steve admitted modestly. 

“That’s a shame.” Ginny looked disappointed but turned to Hermione again. “And they all know about your magic?” 

“It’s been explained in a way to protect us,” she replied. Steve could tell that Hermione was getting uncomfortable with how much she was revealing to Ginny. “But Steve’s the only one who knows the truth.”

Ginny eyed him again and Steve hoped he held up against her scrutiny. “I would never tell anyone,” he insisted. “I give you my word.” 

She nodded. “Hermione wouldn’t share our ways with just anybody. If she trusts you then there’s a very good reason for that.” 

“There is,” Hermione confirmed. 

“OK then,” Ginny replied brightly. “Well, let’s go get some dinner. I’m starving!” 

Unfortunately for her, Harry hadn’t even started cooking when they converged on his house, which was pleasantly situated in the middle of the countryside. Harry welcomed Steve warmly and quietly congratulated him on being newly tolerable to the Minister of Magic, before saying he was only too happy to let him try and fly around in his back garden. 

Steve looked at the broom that Ginny held out to him with a calculating expression and weighed it in his hands. It was one of Harry’s spares, as they all agreed it probably wasn’t best to risk him accidentally destroying Ginny’s top-of-the-line broom on his first go. It didn’t exactly  _ look _ like a normal broom with its sleek handle, foot rests, and streamlined twigs and it didn’t feel like it was going to be strong enough to support him, but he’d seen similar ones being used only an hour earlier. 

Ginny showed him how to grip the handle and demonstrated how to push off to float a few inches off the ground. Hermione stood at the side, an amused expression on her face. 

“Don’t you want to fly too?” he asked, aware that Harry had other spares. 

“I’ll wait until I’m sure you’re not going to fall off, first,” she replied lightly. 

“Thanks,” he chuckled and then focused on what Ginny had said. The broomstick quivered in his grip and joltingly rose a few inches. Ginny reassured him that he was doing it correctly and after a few tries he managed to restrict most of the jerkiness, but he knew it would be a lot smoother if he was magical. 

Over the next half an hour, Ginny taught him how to turn, rise, dive, accelerate and slow down. Steve was happy that he managed not to fall off but Ginny was impressed. “Considering you’ve got no magic in you, that wasn’t too bad. You’ve got good coordination and agility in that big frame of yours,” she said when they were back on firm ground. “Here,” she handed him a bat and picked up one of the black balls that tried to knock players off their brooms. Luckily, the one she was holding was completely docile. “See how far you can hit this when I throw it up,” Ginny instructed. 

“Um, I’m not sure that’s such a good idea,” Hermione said and Ginny frowned. 

“I just want to see what sort of a beater he’d be with all those muscles,” Ginny replied and turned back to him. “Hit it as hard as you can.” 

“If you say so,” he answered simply, getting a firm grip on the bat in preparation. He watched the ball leave her arms and swung at it with all his might. The bludger rocketed off and they quickly lost sight of it. 

Ginny gazed at him open-mouthed. “Thank Merlin you’re not a wizard,” she said eventually. “I’d hate to come up against you on a Quidditch pitch.” 

The light soon faded and they went inside to avoid the chilly February evening. 

“So, is a flying broom going to be on your next Christmas list?” Harry asked as Steve accepted the proffered pint of beer. 

“I’d love one,” Steve replied enthusiastically, “but I don’t think it would be too easy to explain away if you want this whole ‘magic’ thing to stay a secret.” He shook his head. “It certainly puts my motorbike to shame though.” 

“My Godfather had a flying motorbike,” Harry said and Steve looked over at Hermione hopefully.

“I’ll think about it,” she answered with a sigh but there was amusement in her eyes. 

A rush of flames in the fireplace made Steve step back in alarm but they quickly vanished. In their place stood a man that Steve easily identified by his red hair as Ron. 

“Sorry I’m late,” he announced, dusting the soot off his clothes. “I got caught up at work.” 

“It’s fine,” Harry replied, welcoming him with a pat on the shoulder. “You’re actually just on time.” 

“Which is a shame because I was going to eat your share,” Ginny said with a smirk and Ron sent her a scathing look. 

Steve stood awkwardly, not knowing what to do with himself as his heart thumped surprisingly strongly in his chest. 

Hermione walked forwards with a tentative smile on her face. “Hi.”

“Hi,” Ron replied, glancing quickly in Steve’s direction. 

“It’s good to see you,” Hermione said earnestly. 

Ron nodded. “Yeah, you too.” 

She turned her body slightly and reached for Steve’s hand. “Um, this is Steve.” 

The two men exchanged nods, shook hands and traded amiable greetings. 

“I guess it’s time to dish up,” Harry said. “I hope you’re all hungry.” 

“I’ll give you a hand,” Steve offered and Harry nodded his assent. Steve wanted to give Ron and Hermione the chance to talk without him looming over their shoulders, so he followed the dark haired man to the kitchen. 

“I’m curious,” Harry said as he pulled plates out of a cupboard. “Out of everything you’ve experienced, what’s been the most shocking?” 

Steve sipped his beer as he considered his answer. There were many possible choices after all. “What a man can do to another man,” he said lowly. He glanced up when he realised that Harry had paused and was staring at him. Steve shifted his weight. “Sorry, I expect you wanted me to say something like aliens or magic.”

“No, it’s OK. I understand,” Harry replied grimly and nodded towards the other room. “We all know what that’s like. Hermione’s told you about Voldemort, right?” 

Steve frowned. “What?” 

“The war.”

“Not really,” Steve admitted. “She’s told me lots about magical life but not its history.” 

Harry looked surprised for a moment and then a look of understanding settled on his face. “Ah. Well, there are two possible reasons that are more likely than any others I can think of. Firstly, she shouldn’t really be telling you anything given the Statute of Secrecy, but seeing as she told you plenty before she even  _ thought _ of making you an official liaison, I can’t see that holding her back now. So, either she doesn’t want to relive the events, which is understandable, or she doesn’t consider it her story to tell.”

“Whose  _ would _ it be?”

“Mine, I suppose,” Harry admitted with a sigh and Steve stared in surprise. “But she needn’t have been so concerned – I don’t mind if she tells you, she and Ron were there through it all too.”

Steve recalled something he’d overheard Harry say to Hermione while they’d been fighting in New York. “You said you wouldn’t have gotten through your first year at school without her. You weren’t talking about her helping you with your homework, were you?”

Harry laughed. “Actually, she did do that as well, but, no, that’s not what I meant. Hermione’s been saving my life since I was eleven. If it weren’t for her, life in this country – maybe all over the world – would be very different and that’s not an exaggeration.” He paused to push his glasses up his nose. “The fact that she’s brought you so deeply into our world, fought to have you officially accepted, shown you what few other muggles have ever seen,  _ without _ telling you about what happened, shows how closely Hermione holds those events within her. They defined her, made her who she is. If she tells you, that’s Hermione laying herself bare in front of you. You’ll know everything. And not just about her - the war affected all of us. And yet, there are parts of our history that only a few of our kind know.” Harry’s posture and tone shifted, becoming more guarded. “Hermione trusts you, that’s obvious, and I’ve read enough about you to know she’s probably right –” 

“You don’t need to threaten me,” Steve cut in calmly, knowing that’s where Harry was heading. “I’d never betray Hermione’s confidence or do anything to hurt her.” 

“Good.” Harry nodded. “You might be a superhero, but you know we’d take you down with ease.” 

Steve chuckled, aware that this was true. He held out a hand and Harry shook it firmly. 

As he helped to carry the food into the dining room, Steve chewed over what Harry had said. Since their first meeting, he’d known that Hermione had been involved in a war, but he’d never anticipated that she’d been so close to the events. Of all the times he’d wondered about her, he’d never been more desperate for answers. 

* * *

“So, in conclusion, another completely successful operation,” Rumlow said, giving Hermione a satisfied nod. She had just returned from a compound in Waziristan, having safely rounded up and delivered a number of fighters from the Ten Rings into S.H.I.E.L.D.’s hands without a soul being harmed. Information about the secret terrorist organisation was incredibly hard to come by so whenever it came in, S.H.I.E.L.D. had to act as quickly as possible to make use of it, which inevitably meant sending in the Sorceress. “You’re a STRIKE commander’s dream, Granger.” 

Hermione smiled modestly at the compliment. 

“That’s kind of you to say,” she replied, “but we both know you’d much rather be working with the rest of your team, or someone like Steve, so you could get involved with the action yourself.” He shrugged, not accepting or denying her claim.

She’d been infrequently working with Brock Rumlow for a few months now and, initially, both had been rather sceptical about the collaboration. You only needed to look at Rumlow to know that he was an extremely experienced and competent agent, but dealing with a Sorceress was obviously a little outside his skills set. However, with Coulson no longer around to oversee her missions, it made sense for someone with Rumlow’s vast knowledge of strategic techniques to take on that mantle when it was called for.

Her primary focus since Christmas had been tracking down the various AIM facilities around the world to ensure that whatever information Aldrich Killian might have collated on her during her brief captivity was destroyed. Due to unconsciousness and narcotics, she had no memory of those few hours, but a small, red mark on her arm told her that he had at least taken blood samples. For all intents and purposes, AIM didn’t exist anymore (the US government and World Security Council had seen to that) but she knew it was all too easy for her details to slip into the underworld of scientific testing. For all she knew, her blood may have been destroyed weeks ago, but until she was certain, she would keep looking – she couldn’t afford not to. 

“Have you and Rogers got any plans tonight?” Rumlow asked conversationally as they made their way from the debriefing room. Hermione and Steve didn’t go out of their way to make their relationship a secret but it still wasn’t widely known. Despite their protestations, Fury had made it clear that he didn’t want them working on assignments together, which had led to Rumlow’s awareness of their romantic situation.

“Not really,” she answered. “Most of the time it’s pointless to try and plan ahead when neither of us know if we’re going to get called in.” 

He chuckled. “Tell me about it. It’s almost impossible to hold down a relationship in our line of work. I gave up years ago.” 

Hermione considered the man next to her. Despite his slightly advanced age, he was still a very attractive man. Though he was a little too trigger-happy for her liking, overall, she considered him to be a good person. “Maybe it’s worth another shot?” she suggested.

He sent her a dubious look. “I’m a man with too many rough edges - there’s no point pretending otherwise.” 

“I think you’re being very harsh on yourself,” she objected, pressing the button for the lift, making the doors open with a hiss. “There are countless women out there who would be lucky to have you.”

He glanced over at her and shook his head. “You’re too damn nice, Granger.” 

It was dark by the time Hermione entered her apartment building. She could have apparated straight home from the Triskelion but she enjoyed the chance to get some fresh March air after her exploits in Pakistan. 

She phoned Steve while she walked. 

“I hear you’ve been busy,” he said after their initial greetings, and Hermione made a tutting noise.

“Who told you that?” she asked. 

“I had a meeting in Operations and word filtered through about your success,” he replied. “That makes it three Ten Rings raids by you in five weeks – it’s a good thing I’m not competitive otherwise I’d be feeling pretty useless in comparison right now.” 

Hermione frowned. She knew that Steve was teasing her, that he  _ really _ didn’t care that she was carrying out so many large-scale missions, but she was aware that others within S.H.I.E.L.D. would be less pleased about her effectiveness – particularly the members of Rumlow’s STRIKE team: she was cutting down their working hours quite dramatically. 

Steve seemed to sense her gloom. “Why don’t you come over mine tonight – it’s only fair that I cook you dinner after your heroic feats to protect the innocent lives of this world from those intent on destroying peace at any cost!”

Hermione’s lips twitched at his overly dramatic tone. “All right,” she agreed. “I’ll bring over a couple of products that George and Ron sent me this morning. They want to know how much I dislike them so they can predict its success in the shop. Apparently, the more I disapprove, the more popular it’s likely to be. Bloody cheek!”

Steve laughed. “I look forward to it.” 

“I’ll be there in about fifteen minutes,” she promised. “I love you.”

“Love you too.” 

Hermione’s heart fluttered the same way it always did when she heard Steve say those words to her. She’d felt close to him very soon after their first meeting but that sensation had only intensified over the last seven months of their relationship, especially since she’d revealed everything to Steve about her experiences in the wizarding world. His ability to take everything in his stride during their trip to the UK had solidified her resolve to open up to him. 

His introduction to her friends and culture had almost gone without a hitch until Hermione had realised she couldn’t sit down to dinner with Ron when everyone else knew that she’d been lying to him for months. Hermione knew she’d been naïve to think that she could introduce Steve to Ron and Ginny without revealing her double life. She was so used to keeping things from her colleagues at S.H.I.E.L.D and her friends in the US, but it wasn’t as easy to do the same with people she’d known for half her life. 

Unsurprisingly, Ron hadn’t taken the news very well and abruptly left, his face angry and hurt. Hermione had wanted to go after him but Harry and Ginny advised against it, suggesting they give him time to cool off. The rest of the evening was fairly stilted, though they’d all done their best to keep the atmosphere light and the conversation flowing. 

“I’ll go check on him,” Harry had promised when she’d hugged him goodbye. “He’ll come around.” 

“Thank you,” Hermione replied gratefully. 

Harry had pulled back and looked at her contemplatively, before quietly saying, “Please don’t hold back from telling Steve about the past on my account.” Her eyes darted to Steve, who was chatting amiably to Ginny, and she swallowed thickly, her heart thumping rapidly. “You deserve the chance to have a completely open relationship with the man you love.” 

Hermione had felt a rush of gratitude to her best friend. Strictly speaking, she knew that she didn’t  _ need _ Harry’s permission to tell Steve about their battle against Voldemort and all that had happened before and since, but for him to give a blessing, of sorts, was heartening.

It had taken a few days to pluck up the courage to put the Statute of Secrecy aside so firmly for Steve. Part of her was horrified at how comprehensively she was breaking the most fundamental law of magical kind. However, when she looked back on all she had done to protect the wizarding world both during her Hogwarts days and her time with S.H.I.E.L.D, she thought that maybe she  _ did _ deserve this after all. 

So that Steve wouldn’t be overwhelmed with all the information, Hermione recounted her experiences over a few days. He mostly listened to her tales in silence, only interrupting to clarify. A lot of their conversation was just a blur to her now but a few moments stood out, such as the look of amused pride on his face when she told him about her formation of Dumbledore’s Army under Umbridge’s reign, or how his jaw clenched as he heard about the torture she’d sustained at the hands of Bellatrix Lestrange. When she finally finished by briefly telling him about her years working in the ministry, they just lay together all night, getting used to the new feeling between them of complete honesty. Steve had completely worn away all of her mental and emotional barriers, but he’d done it in such a patient and caring way that it felt more like gentle waves lapping on a shore than an assault on a fortress.

Only one barrier remained between them and it made Hermione feel rather hot and excited whenever she thought about it. Physically, she felt incredibly comfortable around Steve and had no difficulty expressing her affection towards him with physical contact. They just hadn’t made that final leap. That wasn’t to say there hadn’t been a few close calls when they’d nearly mutually given in to their desires but, so far, they’d managed to somewhat reluctantly rein themselves in. It was hardly surprising that Steve was very traditional when it came to such matters and, when he had been unaware of her whole past, Hermione had felt uncomfortable with the idea of being so intimate with Steve because it would feel like she was deceiving him, hiding from him the person she really was. Now, though, she could admit to herself that there was nothing that would hold her back from confirming that her heart, body and soul lay with Steve’s. 

However, the moment to tell him this hadn’t come up yet (it wasn’t exactly something that could be casually dropped into a conversation) and, aware of his traditional values, Hermione didn’t want to pressure Steve into something he wasn’t ready for. She was hardly an expert in sexual matters herself so she was seriously considering turning to someone else for advice, perhaps Pepper or Ginny, but she didn’t think Steve would be happy about her talking about the intimacies of their relationship with someone else. She knew  _ she’d _ be annoyed if Steve talked revealingly about them to Tony, Clint or even Natasha. 

Her phone vibrated to alert her to a message, effectively breaking her from her musings. It simply said:  _ Don’t panic. NF _ . 

The backs of her knees tingled despite Fury’s words of warning, and she looked around apprehensively as she pushed open the door to her building. She knew that it would be futile to ring the number and ask Fury what the hell he was talking about because, if he’d wanted to be more explicit, then he would’ve been. 

There was nothing untoward in the foyer and she walked over to check her mailbox like she normally did. A single, lilac envelope lay inside and she fished it out, surprised to see that there was no postage stamp or an address written on the front; only her name. She recognised the handwriting but couldn’t quite place its owner. 

Hermione slid her finger along the back and took out the card within, curiously taking in the jolly,  _ Thank You _ , message displayed on the front, before opening it to see what message lay inside. 

_ I owe you my life. _

Hermione gasped, shock racing through her body as she took in the familiar squiggly signature underneath. 

The door to her building opened again and she knew, without having to look up, who had just entered. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you guess who Hermione's visitor is? 
> 
> So, I might have been somewhat liberal with Hermione and the others' responses to the Statute of Secrecy. If I was being wholly true to the HP world, Hermione wouldn't have taken Steve to Diagon Alley, quidditch or told him anything about magic. But, for me, the fun of writing a crossover fic is to actually have the characters' lives cross over because it's interesting to have them experience settings and characters that we know so well. Hermione has fully crossed over into the Marvel-verse and it would be a shame for someone else not to have a taste of the wizarding world. Also, if Hermione hadn't shared her past with Steve, I don't think their relationship would have survived because she'd feel too deceitful; I think to not share those momentous and emotional experiences with someone so close to you would be very stifling and restricting. 
> 
> As for the muggle riding a broom thing, I'm not sure whether that would work or not. The broom has loads of spells on it to enable it to fly and hover etc. and the person riding it has to steer it using their grip and body position. So, potentially, muggles could do that, right? The line I've taken is that they can just not very well. I'm probably wrong but, actually, it's not really important to the story!
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter.
> 
> Stay safe!
> 
> Lil Drop of Magic


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys. OK, so this chapter is a little bit different. I know there's a high chance that a few of you might be a bit lost here but fingers crossed you can follow along alright. 
> 
> Minimal spoilers for Agents of SHIELD here. :)

The door to her building opened again and she knew, without having to look up, who had just entered. A dozen thoughts whirled through her head as she took in the sight of Agent Phil Coulson, very much alive. 

“Hi,” he said simply.

Hermione stared at him, unable to form any sort of sentence. Coulson walked forwards tentatively. “This is a  _ nice _ surprise, right?” he asked in a mostly joking fashion, but he seemed a little nervous too. 

The card fluttered to the floor as Hermione threw her arms around him. “Yes, it’s a nice surprise,” she murmured through sobs and laughter as she clung to him tightly and he embraced her too. As wonderful as it was to have Coulson back, there were too many questions that she was bursting to ask. She pulled back and opened her mouth to start her onslaught, but he held up a hand.

“Maybe we’d better go somewhere more private first,” he suggested and Hermione nodded, realising that was a wise move. She somehow managed to hold her tongue all the way to her apartment and Coulson looked at her with a knowing expression. “Pardon the pun, but, this is totally killing you, right?” 

“Of course it is,” she agreed with gritted teeth as she struggled to insert the key into the lock due to her shaking hands. “And this definitely isn’t the time for your awful jokes.” When her apartment was finally unlocked by both muggle and magical means, she opened the door for him and watched, still dumbfounded, as Coulson entered in front of her. 

“Wow, you’re such a slob,” Coulson muttered teasingly, looking around at her immaculately clean apartment.

“You were  _ dead _ !” Hermione cried, unable to keep it in any longer. “I was there - you died right in front of me! Your eyes were open and, and there was  _ nothing _ looking out of them.” She held a hand to her head in consternation. “I… I don’t  _ understand _ this.”

Coulson looked at her sympathetically. “Technically you’re right - I was dead, but only for a matter of seconds.” 

Hermione cast her mind back to the horrific events in the helicarrier’s holding cell. She’d performed the most effective healing spell she knew and, despite Coulson’s grievous injuries, she’d had high hopes that all was going to be well. After Fury had laid a hand on her shoulder to break the news, Hermione had stared at Coulson’s lifeless body in denial. 

“Your magic healed my wounds and all the medical team had to do was restart my heart,” Coulson replied. 

Hermione’s brow creased in confusion. “No, that can’t be right. My spell was incomplete – you,” she swallowed thickly as echoes of the emotions she’d felt that day reverberated in her mind, “you  _ died _ before I had repeated the incantation the correct number of times.” 

“Well, it must have done more good than you think because otherwise I wouldn’t be standing here.” 

He smiled simply at her and Hermione had to clamp down on the further objections that she wanted to voice. She wasn’t convinced that her half-completed spell would have healed Coulson enough for muggles to revive him (especially considering the seriousness of his wounds) but there was no point arguing that with Coulson – the man had been dead at the time after all. 

“I really do owe you my life, Hermione,” he said warmly. “Thank you.” 

Her mind ached at the conflicting thoughts and emotions. She didn’t exactly feel like she deserved the gratitude that Coulson was sending her way. For the first few days following his ‘death’, she’d been wracked with guilt, convinced that her mental block on the healing spell had cost Coulson his life. But, after reflecting on it, she’d realised her supposed  _ mental block _ was a rather apt description, most likely caused by Loki’s penetration of her mind. The revelation that she would have had a much higher chance of saving Coulson’s life had it not been for the Asgardian’s interference had lessened the guilt, but brought forward a renewed wave of anguish. However, none of that mattered now, for here he was in front of her. 

“You’re welcome,” she mumbled in reply, a small part of her still convinced that she was dreaming. “But…” she made some quick mental calculations and her temper flared, “that was ten months ago! Where have you been?!” she asked, hands on hips. 

For a moment, Coulson looked amused at her tone of voice but a more solemn expression settled in his features. A shiver ran up her spine; she’d never seen her normally cool, calm and collected friend look so haunted. “I  _ died, _ Hermione,” he replied quietly, the smallest of cracks in his voice. “It might only have been for a few moments but that’s not something you can just jump back up from.” 

“No, of course not,” she replied, her anger deflating. “But…did you not realise that we still thought you were dead? Why didn’t Fury tell us straight away that you’d been resuscitated?” 

“If I recall correctly, there were rather more pressing matters to attend to at the time,” Coulson reminded her lightly, then he held out a conciliatory hand. “I was probably too casual earlier when I described my recovery from the stabbing. Apparently, even with your spell I was hovering between life and death for quite a while. I can only assume the Director didn’t want to get your hopes up should I not pull through.” 

Hermione pursed her lips. If what Coulson said was true, Fury knew that her magical healing would surely have been of use at that time. She was certainly going to have a lot of questions for the Director the next time she saw him.

“It turns out that if you die in the line of duty,” Coulson continued, his voice lighter once more, “S.H.I.E.L.D. are happy to send you to a top resort to recuperate - well, if you come back to life that is.” 

Hermione’s lips twitched despite herself. “I hope the location was suitably exotic for you.” 

“Tahiti,” Coulson replied, a twinkle in his eye. “It’s a magical place. Anyway, it was a few weeks into my stay there that I realised most people were in the dark about me. At first, I assumed that everyone was too busy to visit or wanted to give me space, but I knew that nothing would’ve kept  _ you _ away for that long.” 

“You’re damn right it wouldn’t,” Hermione agreed.

“But so many months had gone past. I wanted to tell you but I didn’t know how so… I didn’t.” Coulson shook his head. “It’s surprisingly easy to put the rest of the world to one side when you’re being massaged on a beach with the softest white sand and most beautiful turquoise water you’ve ever seen.” He sighed contentedly. “My whole time there is a bit of a blur really, but it was stupid to put off telling you - the longer something is kept hidden, the harder it is to reveal the truth.”

Hermione ignored the uneasy feeling those words created in her stomach. “So why tell me now? What’s changed?” 

“I’m getting back in the field,” he explained simply. “Fury’s asked me to assemble a team.”

“Oh,” Hermione said in surprise. 

“Given your security clearance, you were bound to hear about me sooner or later and it wouldn’t do our friendship justice to let you find out that way,” he added.

“Oh,” she said again. “You… you don’t want me on your team then?” she asked, unable to keep a trace of disappointment from her voice. 

He laughed. “I’d love to, but to be honest you’re a little overqualified now, given your Avenger status. You’re far too effective in your current setup for Fury to risk moving you into an inexperienced team. But you can be sure I’ll have your number on speed dial.”

Hermione smiled, mollified. “So, who  _ do _ you have in mind?”

* * *

“You know what bothers me about the Battle of New York?” Skye asked, pausing in her pounding of the punch bag that Ward was holding steady for her. 

“Many things, as you’ve told me countless times,” he replied, not looking comfortable with the topic of conversation. “Don’t stop.” 

Skye punched the bag a few times to appease him. “Why aren’t there any ‘Sorceress’ action figures?”

“ _ That’s _ what’s bothering you?” he said, his eyebrow raised in surprise. “You’re worried she’s not getting any royalty fees?” 

Skye looked at him. “Wait – those guys get paid to have little dolls of themselves? Can’t we put a few Skye dolls on the shelves, see how those go down?” 

“You think you’re in the same league as the Avengers?” 

“ _ No… _ ” she said, dragging out the word to show that she was  _ obviously _ joking. “As a fellow woman, I just think it’s unfair that she misses out on some of the credit.”

“Uh huh,” Ward said, not sounding convinced. “In all of your ‘Rising Tide’ stuff, did you ever get any footage of her?”

Skye punched the bag a couple of times with a frown. “No.” 

“And if  _ you _ couldn’t do that, how are the toy companies supposed to know what she looks like?” he pointed out. 

Skye shook her head. “It still sucks if you ask me.”

“I didn’t,” Ward reminded her. “Now quit stalling – the session’s nowhere near over.” 

If Ward thought that was the end to her questions, he was sadly mistaken. After a couple more minutes, Skye paused again. “Have you ever met her?” 

He sighed at her never-ending enquiries. “No.” 

She narrowed her eyes at him and then she grinned excitedly. “You  _ have _ ! You totally have! Tell me about her. In my mind she’s like this kick-ass heroine who takes no prisoners and really rocks a bandana.” 

“I have never seen the Sorceress,” Ward insisted but Skye shook her head. 

“You’re hiding something,” she claimed, nudging him with her glove. “Come on,” she wheedled. “I literally know nothing about this woman and she’s the best one of the lot! Are you honestly telling me you’ve never been in her company? Not for a single second?” 

“You’re annoying. You know that?” 

“Yes, and  _ you _ know that I’m not going to leave you alone until you answer me!” she persisted. 

Unfortunately, he  _ was _ well aware of that. “Look, I told you, I never saw her. I was part of her final assessment to gain ‘Agent’ status. I was in an office that she was supposed to break into.”

“ _ And _ ?” Skye prompted, eyes wide. 

“Next thing I know, I’m waking up on the floor an hour later.” 

“Woah. What’d she do to you?” Skye asked, sounding impressed.

“No idea. They wouldn’t tell me,” Ward admitted. “But I never felt a thing and I didn’t have any wounds.”

Skye nodded slowly. “She sounds so awesome.” 

Ward shrugged. “Using powers is cheating.” 

“It’s still awesome,” she insisted but then frowned when she recalled something he’d said. “So she’s an actual S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, not just a random superhero?” 

“Yeah,” he nodded, “she’s one of us.” 

Skye wasn’t sure that she identified with the whole ‘us’ label just yet, but it was interesting to know that the Sorceress was involved in the S.H.I.E.L.D. system too. “And you don’t know  _ anything _ else about her? Nothing’s filtered through the agent grapevine?”

“Just that she’s the best asset we’ve ever had. She’s very well protected.”

“Huh. So they’re not going to lend out a biography on her to someone like me?” Skye asked pessimistically. 

“Definitely not.” 

* * *

“Guys, guys, guys,” Skye said quickly, rushing into the lab where FitzSimmons were working on something she’d doubtless have no chance of understanding. “You’ll never guess what Ward just told me.” 

“Skye, that sounds like a really fun game with plenty of humorous possible answers but we’re a little busy,” Simmons said, dropping liquid into a petri dish with a pipette. 

“All right, I’ll get straight to the point,” Skye replied, not bothered by their lack of enthusiasm. “Ward has had a run in with the Sorceress! I mean, it sounds like it only lasted about one second and he doesn’t actually know anything about her, but that’s  _ so _ cool, right?” She looked at them both excitedly, expecting them to share in her enthusiasm. FitzSimmons paused in their work and gave each other a nervous look.

“Well, that is  _ fascinating _ , Skye.” Fitz said, moving forward to usher her from the lab. “Thank you for sharing that with us. But, as Simmons said, we’re very busy right now so…” 

Skye looked between them in confusion. Why were they acting like this wasn’t a big deal? “ _ Wait! _ ” she gasped, understanding clicking into place. “ _ You’ve _ met her too!” FitzSimmons shared another look but it was definitely more panicked this time. “I can’t believe you haven’t told me!” she cried. “So, have you actually seen her?” Skye asked eagerly. “You have, haven’t you? Is she young? Old? Does she actually look human? What colour’s her bandana?”

Fitz frowned. “She doesn’t wear a bandana.”

“Aha!” Skye crowed and Simmons hit him on the arm for revealing anything. “So you  _ have  _ seen her. OK, spill. I want to know everything.”

“ _ No _ ,” they chorused, sounding more alike than ever. 

Skye held her hands up questioningly. “Why not?” she shrugged.

“You haven’t got clearance,” Simmons said weakly, looking apologetic.

“Secrecy is everything where the Sorceress is concerned,” Fitz added. “If we want to work with her again, we can’t go blabbing about her to every nosy-Nellie we come across.” 

“But… You’ve got to give me something!” Skye whined. “I’ll go crazy!” 

“Fine,” Simmons said, putting down her pipette. “She’s a woman.”

“And a Sorceress,” Fitz chipped in. 

Skye’s shoulders slumped. “You guys suck.” 

* * *

Barely an unusual mission went past where Skye didn’t suggest at one point for them to get in touch with the Sorceress to check that she wasn’t responsible or couldn’t give them some advice. Everyone’s patience was beginning to wear thin. 

Skye knew her chances of ever finding out anything extra about the Sorceress were severely dampened by the whole ‘Miles’ fiasco. They weren’t about to trust her with one of S.H.I.E.L.D’s biggest secrets after she’d gotten in contact with her ex-boyfriend to warn him that her team was on to him. 

But that didn’t stop her trying. 

“You know the Sorceress, right?” she asked Coulson one day when there wasn’t an imminent disaster for them to deal with. 

“We’ve met,” he answered vaguely, not lifting his eyes from the folder he was perusing. 

“She’s an agent too, isn’t she? Not just one of your run of the mill superheroes.”

“There’s nothing run-of-the-mill where she’s concerned,” he murmured. 

“So, you knew her before New York?” Skye asked, hoping that she might actually get some answers for once.

“Yes.”

“And she has lots of abilities, doesn’t she?” she pressed. “Not just ones we’ve seen where people can only do one thing, like fire.”

“She’s very gifted,” Coulson agreed, still reading.

“Right… Do you think I’ll ever get to meet her?”

This finally caught his attention. He looked at her with one of his unreadable expressions. “Why do you want to?”

She raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Is that a trick question?” 

“No.”

“Because… because…” Where did she start?

“Because you want to find her secrets and reveal them to the world?” he asked emotionlessly. 

“No!” she objected. 

“That used to be your motto,” Coulson pointed out.

“I’ve changed,” Skye insisted, strangely hurt by his accusation. “I wouldn’t do that anymore.” 

Coulson regarded her quietly for a moment. “She’s still a person, you know,” he said eventually. “Inside, she’s just like anyone else. She has the same fears for the ones she loves, enjoys spending time with her friends, works hard to improve herself…”

“Is that a subtle hint for me to study the S.H.I.E.L.D protocol book again?” Skye asked with a faux-accusatory tone. Coulson smiled and she relaxed. “You sound like you know her well,” she said softly. 

“I should think so – I  _ was _ one of her SOs,” he revealed as though this wasn’t huge news to Skye.

“ _ What?!” _

* * *

A week later, Skye walked towards the lab, her session with Ward cut short when May interrupted to say she needed to speak with him. Ward had suggested she go and do some studying but it would be much more fun to rope FitzSimmons into eavesdropping on Ward and May with her. 

“Thanks for your help. I’ll let you know how I get on.”

Skye frowned at the unfamiliar female voice. It had an English accent but it definitely wasn’t Simmons talking. There was a popping sound as Skye turned the corner to enter the lab but it was just Fitzsimmons there. They looked surprised to see her.

“Skye!” Simmons gasped, glancing at Fitz quickly. “Don’t you think his English accent is getting better?” 

Really? They were going to try that? “Yeah,” she nodded, playing along. “It sounded good, a bit girly, but  _ much _ improved. Let’s hear it again, Fitz.” 

He looked a little like a rabbit staring down the barrel of a farmer’s gun but he cleared his throat. “Hello, Skye,” he said, adopting a high-pitched voice to accompany his atrocious accent. “How are you this fine afternoon?” 

Skye pursed her lips and nodded slowly at his pathetic attempt while Simmons licked her lips nervously. “OK, so who were you really talking to?” Skye asked seriously. 

FitzSimmons exchanged a look, making Skye gasp. She  _ knew _ that look. They wore it whenever she tried to badger information out of them about the Sorceress. “She was  _ here _ ? Like, right here?” she said pointing to the spot she was standing in. “ _ You guys _ !  _ Seriously _ ? How could you not tell me?” 

FitzSimmons sighed, not even bothering to point out for the hundredth time that they weren’t allowed to tell her. It was better to just let Skye rant in these situations. 

“So, she can just pop in and out of a vehicle that’s flying thousands of feet over Asia? That’s  _ so _ cool,” she groaned. “And she’s English?” Skye shook her head. “I didn’t see that coming at all! Ugh, I can’t believe I was only a few feet away from her.” 

“You need to tone down the crazy,” Fitz suggested, looking at her worriedly. “We could stick you outside the bottom of Avengers Tower right now and you’d completely fit in.” 

Skye waved him away. She wasn’t some loony, she just found the idea of the Sorceress very exciting.  _ Who wouldn’t _ ?

“Please,” Simmons scoffed, looking at him with a frown. “You nearly passed out when we first met her.”

“And  _ you _ curtsied!” he shot back. 

Skye ran off to go and tell Ward the exciting news. Luckily, he’d finished his conversation with May because she didn’t want the sombre agent around to kill her buzz. 

“You’ll never guess who was just here!” she gushed when she saw him. Ward stared at her for a moment. 

“The Sorceress,” he replied simply.

Her jaw dropped. “How did you know? Did you meet with her?”

“No. You’ve got the same obsessive look on your face that you always have whenever she’s brought up,” he explained. “And you said they were  _ just _ here – there’s not many people who can leave the ‘bus’ mid-flight.”

“She was meeting with FitzSimmons,” Skye said, choosing to ignore the ‘obsessive’ comment. “Do you wanna look back on the security footage with me?” 

“No.”

“ _ Really? _ You don’t want to know anything else about her?”

“Trust the system, Skye,” he reminded her. She was really sick of that mantra. “If we’re meant to find out about the Sorceress, we will. For now, it’s best to show a bit of self-restraint.” 

Skye considered his words for about ten seconds before heading off to look at the footage. 

Unfortunately, there was nothing but squiggly black and white lines on the screen, and static coming from the audio. It was highly unlikely that was a coincidence. 

Well played, Sorceress. Well played.

* * *

Skye  _ did not _ trust ‘The System’. 

Ward and Fitz had been sent off on a classified mission to South Ossetia while the rest of the team had to stand around in the Hub, clueless about what was going on. Well, she and Simmons did. Coulson was obviously aware of the details of the operation and Skye strongly suspected that May was too, but it was almost impossible to tell where the stony faced agent was concerned. May had told her to wait for news and then react, but that wasn’t exactly Skye’s way of doing things: she needed answers. Normally, Skye would use her laptop to do a little digging into S.H.I.E.L.D’s files but, with her annoying bracelet keeping tabs on every electronic swipe and click she did, she’d have to do a little manual reconnaissance before she’d be willing to risk Coulson’s wrath. 

But, hopefully, it wouldn’t come to that if she could just talk to Coulson herself and make him see how ridiculous it was to start changing the way their team operated. They were a  _ team _ for a reason - so they could have each other’s backs. She and Simmons couldn’t do that when they didn’t have a clue what was going on. 

“Let’s take a couple of walks past Operations,” Skye suggested to Simmons, feeling uncomfortable at the other woman’s doe-eyed stare as she fretted over her best friend. “Maybe we’ll see or overhear anything that we can take to Coulson.” 

Simmons nodded, looking pleased to do something to try and help. 

“First, we’ll walk past Operations together,” Skye instructed as they made their way through the Hub. “And then we’ll come back one at a time to give us more of a chance of spotting something.” Simmons nodded. 

There wasn’t too much to see from their restricted positions but they still went separate ways on the return. Skye waited for Simmons just around the corner, taking the occasional peek to check what was going on. 

“Excuse me,” a voice said behind her, making her jump. She turned quickly, prepared to defend her presence, but she saw it was just a woman of similar age to herself. 

“Er, hi,” Skye said shortly. 

“Hi, I’m Saskia. You’re Skye, right?” the girl asked, her accent noticeably British. 

Skye drew her eyebrows together in surprise. “Yeah. How did you know?” 

“Agent Coulson sent me. He said to look for the young woman with the long dark hair, rebellious expression and lack of security pass,” she replied, looking somewhat apologetic. Skye grimaced at the tracking bracelet that Coulson told her she wore in lieu of the badges everyone else was sporting. “He suggested you would be able to help me with this.” Saskia held out a small interactive tablet.

Skye quickly glanced around the corner again but there was no sign of Simmons yet so she accepted the device. Talking to this random agent was actually the perfect cover. “Uh, sure, what do you need?”

“S.H.I.E.L.D has suspicions that this facility is related in some way to the Centipede Project,” Saskia explained, pointing to the company logo. “The fact that its files are so difficult to crack only deepens these misgivings. Do you think you can bypass their security?” 

In the few seconds she’d had to look, Skye knew it would take barely half a minute to hack the site. “Coulson definitely sent you, right? This isn’t some elaborate test to see if I’m following the rules?”

Saskia smiled. “Agent Coulson recommended you, I promise. He said you already have experience of the Centipede Project and that your hacking skills are second to none.”

Skye started tapping away at the screen but one of her eyebrows arched at Saskia’s words. “That’s one of his better compliments,” she allowed. “But if I  _ do _ get Coulson on my back after this, I’m holding you entirely responsible.”

“Fair enough,” Saskia agreed light-heartedly. 

The sound of many feet echoing down the corridor made Skye look up from her work. A large number of men trooped past in full tactical gear, a couple of them carrying crates labelled as holding rocket propelled grenades. She watched with wide eyes as they marched past her towards Operations and joined with a number of smartly dressed people that Skye strongly suspected were analysts. Fitz and Ward’s mission was even more dangerous than she’d previously thought if it involved a small-scale army. 

She quickly inputted the final commands to give Saskia the access she needed and practically thrust the device back at her. “Done!” Skye looked around the corner again and saw Simmons walking concernedly towards her. 

“Oh, thank you, Skye,” Saskia said gratefully. “I really appreciate it.”

“No problem,” she replied, taking a couple of steps backwards to bring the conversation to an end. “I’ll see you around.”

Skye hurried over to Simmons. “Did you see all those men – and the RPG’s? This isn’t good.”

Simmons was wearing an intrigued expression on her face. “Who were you just talking to?” 

Skye waved her hand dismissively. “Just some agent that Coulson wanted me to do a favour for, um, Saskia somebody? That’s not important. Didn’t you hear me? All those weapons and troops means Fitz and Ward must be in serious danger. I’ve gotta talk to Coulson about this. Come on.” 

Simmons still had a strange look on her face but she dutifully followed Skye in the hopes that they’d be able to help their team.

* * *

It turned out, Skye was  _ right _ not to trust the system. If she had, Ward and Fitz would almost certainly be dead right now. Instead, thanks to the hacking Skye did into the Hub’s mainframe, she was able to convince May to act on the news that there was no extraction plan for Fitz and Ward. Even Coulson gave their flight to South Ossetia the seal of approval, leading Skye to believe that he’d been unaware of the lack of relief team too. 

She knew that Coulson was pissed at her for snooping into S.H.I.E.L.D’s files  _ again _ , but Skye wouldn’t hesitate to repeat her actions if it meant she saved the lives of people she cared about. 

Skye grabbed a cushion from her bed and hugged it against her chest. It had been an anxious couple of days.

“Hey, thanks again for your help yesterday.”

Skye looked up at the voice and let out a yelp of surprise at the sight of Saskia standing in the doorway. Her eyes widened at the realization of  _ who _ exactly Saskia was and she leapt to her feet with a gasp, her hands covering her mouth. “Oh my God,” she murmured, staring at her avidly.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you jump,” Saskia said lightly.

Skye dropped her hands to her side and tried to act as though standing opposite a living, breathing sorceress wasn’t the coolest moment of her life. 

“Are you alright, Skye?” Fitz’s concerned voice called from a few yards away. Skye poked her head around the door and saw him and Simmons hurrying towards her. “We heard you scream.” 

Saskia stepped out from behind Skye and FitzSimmons halted immediately, before looks of understanding came over their faces. 

“I  _ knew _ it was you that Skye was talking to in the Hub!” Simmons said brightly, resuming her walk towards them.

Skye was on the verge of pointing out that Simmons totally should’ve told her that earlier but she was determined not to come across as the crazy Sorceress fangirl the rest of the team were convinced she was. She already felt stupid for not realizing that Saskia was the Sorceress the second she’d heard her English accent, but she honestly hadn’t expected the Avenger to be so young and, well,  _ normal _ looking. 

“I was on rather a tight schedule,” Saskia explained. “Otherwise I would have popped in to say hello and wish you luck in your mission, Fitz. Coulson was just telling me all about it.” 

Fitz’s chest puffed out slightly. “Ah, it was no big deal. Just your usual dangerous op with Russian mobs, separatists and weapon-destroying devices.” 

Saskia smiled. “Quite. And I hear that bracelet hasn’t exactly stopped your unsanctioned hacking,” she said turning to Skye. 

“Oh. You heard about that, huh?” Skye felt her cheeks heating up in embarrassment. 

Saskia shrugged. “Rules are there for a reason and I’m someone who’ll follow them to the letter…” Skye crossed her arms defensively over her chest but Saskia continued, “Until there’s a very good reason not to, that is.” 

Skye looked at her in surprise. “You don’t really come across as the rebel type, but, then again, I never thought Simmons would shoot a superior officer in the chest either.” 

Simmons smiled broadly. “It’s always the quiet ones you need to watch out for.” 

Skye felt her spirits soar. She already knew she’d done the right thing by breaking into those files but it was reassuring to get the nod of approval from someone like Saskia. “I’m not going to leak your secret,” Skye blurted out to her and then flushed again. “You know, if you were worried or anything.”

“Thanks, but I’m not worried,” she replied calmly.

“Yeah, what sort of an idiot would get on the bad side of the Sorceress?” Fitz asked incredulously and then he tilted his head in thought. “Just out of interest, what  _ would _ you do to someone to get your revenge?”

Saskia’s eyes glinted and she opened her mouth to reply but Ward’s voice called out to them.

“Hey, what’s going on her –  _ woah _ ,” he added, noticing the unexpected additional person. Skye grinned because it was always hilarious to watch Ward lose his ultra-serious demeanour even for a split second. 

“Hi, you must be Agent Ward,” Saskia greeted, holding out her hand. “I’m Agent Hailsham-Grey.” Ward shook her hand, his expression showing that he knew Saskia’s alternate identity as the Sorceress. 

“It’s an honour to meet you,” Ward replied, sounding like he genuinely meant it.

Saskia peered at him for a moment, a puzzled look on her face. “Have we met before? Your face looks familiar.” 

“Uh, not exactly,” Ward muttered, looking uncomfortable.

Skye smirked gleefully. “He was part of your test to gain agent status,” she revealed as Ward sent her a disapproving frown. “You knocked him out for an hour but he has no recollection of even being aware of you sneaking up on him.” 

Saskia’s eyes widened with realisation. “Oh, yes, in the office of the nightclub, I remember. Sorry about that.” 

“It’s fine,” Ward murmured. 

Saskia tucked some of her bushy hair behind her ear and Skye noticed the charm bracelet encircling her wrist. “Ah, cool, is that a little Captain America shield?” she asked, pointing at the particular charm. 

Saskia glanced at her wrist, surprised by the change in conversation. “Yes, it is.”

“Ooh, do you have something for each Avenger?” Simmons enquired, peering at the jewellery too, and Skye raked her eyes over the charms looking for a little arrow, a spider, hammer or something similar.

Saskia stiffened a little under their scrutiny. “Um, no I don’t, actually.” 

“Oh,” Simmons replied in disappointment and then her eyes widened dramatically. “ _ Oh! _ ” 

Skye’s jaw dropped a little as she obviously came to the same conclusion as Simmons. “ _ Woah _ .” 

Fitz looked somewhat confused at the girls’ reactions and he glanced between the bracelet and Saskia’s slightly awkward demeanour with a calculating look on his face. “Wait… you and Captain America are… You two are…?” 

Saskia nodded, tucking her hair behind her ear again. “Er, yes, we are.” 

“This is  _ so _ exciting!” Simmons trilled, grinning from ear to ear. 

Ward looked around at them all with extreme distaste. 

* * *

Steve was gazing at her in concern. “Are you sure you’re up for this? We don’t have to go.” 

Hermione reached upwards, stretching out the muscles in her arms and back to revive her a little. “I’m fine, honestly - I  _ want _ to go. It feels like ages since we’ve been in New York together.” 

“But you’ve travelled at least ten thousand miles in the last twenty-four hours,” he pointed out, “ _ and _ infiltrated three facilities suspected of having links with AIM.”

Hermione slipped a pair of flats onto her feet and grabbed her handbag from where it was resting on the arm of his couch. “Steve, sweetheart, I know you’re looking out for me, but I’m used to being so busy.  _ We _ are going to have a nice evening in our city and that’s that, all right?” 

“Yes, ma’am,” he replied, his lips pulling into a small grin. Hermione rolled her eyes a little but leant up and quickly kissed him before taking his hand and apparating them to her safe point in Manhattan. 

Steve had moved down to DC about nine months ago when he’d made his initial commitment to working with S.H.I.E.L.D. But it was New York that had been the making of them _ \-  _ both as individuals within the Avengers and also the  _ two of them _ as a partnership. 

“So, where do you want to go?” Steve asked as they emerged from the alley onto Bleecker Street. 

Hermione tilted her head, considering. “Nothing comes to mind. How about we wander for a bit and see if we get any inspiration?”

They had been walking and talking leisurely for about ten minutes before Steve announced that he had an idea what they could do. When Hermione asked him for details, he shook his head and proclaimed it a secret. 

Hermione’s smile widened at the lack of details. In their line of work, they experienced enough twists and turns every day to stop them from desiring the same for their private lives. A simple, drama-free relationship was all that Hermione wanted at the end of a planet-hopping, enemy-defeating day. However, that wasn’t to say that Steve wouldn’t surprise her with a bouquet of flowers or a new charm for her bracelet every other week, and Hermione would sometimes magic them away to a beautiful location for some relaxation when they were reasonably confident that S.H.I.E.L.D wouldn’t be in need of them for a few hours. 

Steve led her down to the subway and Hermione couldn’t help but consider the possible locations he had in mind as they travelled northwards. As they neared Grand Central, he stood, showing that this was where they would be departing.

“Are we getting another train?” she asked.

“You’re finding this whole ‘secret’ thing a bit difficult to grasp, aren’t you?” he teased.

Hermione scowled in mock-offence and Steve quickly kissed her to undo the damage.

The station was one of the first buildings to complete its repairs after the Battle of New York. As Steve brought her onto the sidewalk, she saw that many others were still incomplete nearly a year later. They crossed Lexington Avenue and Hermione realised it was almost exactly a year since the Chitauri had descended on the city. In some ways, it felt like that day was in the distant past, but the clear cut memories that were resurrected amongst the familiar landmarks made it feel like it could have all happened yesterday. 

She stumbled slightly as Steve came to an abrupt halt on the corner of 42 nd and Lexington. He looked at Hermione expectantly.

“This is where we first met!” she exclaimed with sudden realisation. “Hang on…” She did some calculations in her head, “Was it a year ago  _ today _ ?” 

Steve’s arms encircled her waist, his hands coming to rest on the small of her back and he nodded in confirmation as the crowds continued to stream past them. “May 1 st 2012, Nick Fury tells me to meet one of his agents outside the Chrysler Building to start my re-entry into the world,” he narrated, looking fondly down at her. “I get here early because I’ve got nothing else to do with my time, and after a couple of minutes, I hear this polite, enquiring voice behind me. I turn, and just like that, my already drastically altered life changes again, but this time for the better.” 

“Oh, you’re sure about that, are you?” Hermione questioned teasingly. 

“Quite sure,” he replied, eyes twinkling. He removed his arms from her waist and took one of her hands in his, leading her back along 42 nd . “Anyway, one of the first things I learn about this Agent Hermione Granger is that  _ apparently _ she likes books.” 

“Can we go to the library?” Hermione asked eagerly. “We haven’t been in  _ ages _ !” Which was true enough because once Steve had become more familiar with modern technology, they had found it easier to use the internet to research important things he had missed whilst frozen. 

“ _ And _ that the New York Public Library is her favourite building in the city,” Steve continued with a grin. 

Already feeling giddy at the loving way that Steve was speaking about her, Hermione’s spirits lifted even further at the sight of the aforementioned library, which looked as beautiful as ever amid the orange glow of the setting sun. 

“When we first came to this library,” Steve resumed as they ascended the gleaming white steps, “I behaved like a judgemental jerk.”

“Don’t!” Hermione objected, not wanting him to bring up a memory that she’d long ago cast aside. 

“But she didn’t hold it against me when, mere hours later, we were tasked to join forces to combat a somewhat sinister Norse god and his alien army.” He held the door open for her as they trod the familiar path towards what had been ‘their’ study room. “Over the coming days, weeks and months, I discovered that, in  _ so _ many ways, she was the most incredible person I would ever have the extremely good fortune to meet.” 

Hermione stared at him, completely speechless at the way he was talking about her. Her heart felt so overwhelmed that she wouldn’t be surprised if it just ceased working at any moment. 

Steve opened the door to the small room and, at first, Hermione thought that the lights had been turned off, but then she saw the flickering lights of dozens of small candles scattered within. She pulled back at his arm. “Steve, we shouldn’t be in here, there must be some sort of event planned.” 

He ignored her comment and tugged her forwards so he could shut the door. Hermione’s eyes widened with understanding and she covered her mouth with her hands. The idea of coming to the library  _ hadn’t _ been a spontaneous idea: he’d planned for this all along. 

She looped her arms around his neck, but kept her gaze on the scene he’d created for them. “Oh, Steve, it’s  _ beautiful _ ,” she murmured. As her eyes grew accustomed to the darkness, she saw the multitude of flowers that lined the shelves in place of the usual books, and the large cushions that had replaced the table and chairs.

She was dreaming - she had to be, for this was nothing short of perfect.

“When I woke up last year, I was lost,” Steve said quietly, drawing Hermione’s eyes back to him. “I was alive in the world but just drifting past it, cut off from everything and everyone. You anchored me, gave me something to tie myself to.”

Hermione could feel her heart pounding rapidly in her chest as she took in his intense gaze.

“In the last twelve months,” he continued, “you’ve gone from an acquaintance, to a colleague, a friend, a confidante, a girlfriend and to the woman I love more than I can say. You’re the first thing on my mind when I wake up and the last when I go to sleep. I don’t  _ ever _ want that to change.”

He gently removed her arms from around his neck and pulled out a small, black box from his pocket, making her gasp.

After lowering himself onto one knee, he pulled the lid of the box open, looked up at her and said, “Hermione Granger, will you marry me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eek, mini cliffhanger there. :D
> 
> A few things to note this time. First, I have cut out six months between Iron Man 3 and the start of Season 1 of Agents of SHIELD because maintaining that gap would have just made the pace of the story a bit 'bleh'. So everything else (like Thor 2, etc.) has jumped forwards half a year too. If you haven't seen Agents of SHIELD then I apologise if this was a little confusing for you, but I couldn't resist just dipping into that part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I could have written a lot about Hermione linking up with Coulson's team but I didn't because it would just go on forever and, in all honesty, I never got beyond season 3. That being said, I LOVED writing these little scenes about how the team perceive her. Another thing worth mentioning because I care about the little details and I know some of you do too, in this fic, Coulson would also let Steve know that he was alive because he wouldn't want a secret like that to get in the way of Steve and Hermione's relationship (which, unsurprisingly, he is a HUGE fan of).
> 
> So, next time, we find out Hermione's answer and she also investigates some strange happenings in an abandoned factory in London...
> 
> I hope you are all safe and well.
> 
> Lil Drop of Magic


	26. Chapter 26

He was a fiancé. 

It still felt bizarre every time Steve remembered but he couldn’t be happier and, judging by the ever-present smile on Hermione’s face, the same was true for her too. 

It had been some weeks since the notion to ask Hermione to marry him had first entered into his head and it had been the most unlikely of candidates, Tony Stark, no less, to suggest it in the first place. 

He and Hermione had only recently returned from helping her parents move back to the UK when Tony announced a men’s poker night in Avengers Tower. Steve hadn’t particularly wanted to go but he recognised the bonding opportunity it presented and the alternative was sitting alone at home on a Saturday night because Hermione was going to the theatre with Pepper anyway. 

In truth, it wasn’t as bad as Steve had feared, although there was a strong possibility that Hermione’s magically-adapted alcohol was more than a little responsible for loosening him up a bit, seeing as normal liquor never worked on him. He would even go as far as saying that he had really enjoyed himself as he gradually deprived Tony, Clint and Bruce of all their money, much to their astonishment. 

“What happened to being the spokesperson for truth and honour, Cap?” Clint muttered bitterly, frowning at the sight of Steve’s cards after he’d successfully bluffed his way to another win. “I’m seriously reconsidering everything I thought about you.” He gulped down a couple of mouthfuls of beer and shook his head forlornly at the very small pile of betting chips he had left.

“It’s almost as disconcerting as if we found out that Mickey Mouse runs a porn ring,” Tony muttered, causing a few raised eyebrows.

Unfortunately, Tony had taken exception to Steve turning down the ultra-expensive liquor that was on offer in favour of Hermione’s homebrew, and had seen fit to sample her beverage himself and was now suffering quite badly for it. 

“How’s Hermione, Steve?” Bruce asked, tactfully steering the conversation away from theoretically lecherous animated mice. “You guys still going strong?”

“No!” Tony interjected as he dealt the cards again. “No girlfriend talk on poker night - I do not need to be reminded what a crap boyfriend I am in comparison to Mr Perfect here,” he added, jerking his head in Steve’s direction. 

“We’re good,” Steve answered Bruce simply, ignoring Tony’s comment (and consequent disgruntled expression). “Better than ever, in fact.” And this was true. After their trip to England, Hermione had finally opened up to him about her secretive past. His mind had been blown on a daily basis as she revealed more and more to him about Hogwarts and the fight against Voldemort. The intelligence, courage and utterly unswerving loyalty she had shown during that time left him in awe. And this was the woman who loved him! When it came to the women in his life, Steve knew he was a very lucky man. 

Something of his thoughts showed on his face and Tony looked at him aghast. “Oh, shit, you’re going to ask her to marry you.”

“ _ What? _ ” Steve said in alarm. “I don’t… I hadn’t,” he paused and looked around at them all. “Do you think I should?” 

“Of course not!” Tony replied instantly. “Pepper got jealous when you bought Granger that scrappy bracelet – I’ll never hear the end of it if you put a ring on her finger too.” 

Clint frowned over at Tony. “Shut up, Stark. Don’t put the cracks in your own relationship onto someone else.” 

Tony turned to the agent with a patronising look on his face. “Like  _ you’re _ an expert when it comes to women - have you even  _ got _ a girlfriend, Barton?”

Clint laughed and took another sip of his beer. “I  _ really _ don’t have time for one of those in my life.” 

“No one could ever call you or Hermione normal,” Bruce commented, bringing an end to the bickering. “But what you’ve got with each other…” He shrugged. “It’s something I could never have.” 

“Exactly,” Clint agreed. “You’ve got lucky, Cap. If she’s the one for you then why not make it official?” 

Tony made yet another disparaging noise. “You two have been together for, what, four months? You’d be crazy to make such a commitment after such a short amount of time!” His expression grew more troubled. “I mean, do you even really  _ know _ her well enough yet?” 

“I know  _ everything _ about her,” Steve said with such conviction that Tony simply frowned at him. “And it’s been  _ seven _ months,” he corrected. If you were stepping out with someone for that long in the forties, people would assume there was an understanding between the two individuals. But this was the twenty-first century. “People don’t really get engaged so soon here, do they?”

“No,” Tony replied bluntly.

“Who cares?” Clint pointed out. “If you can’t see any reason to wait, then don’t.” 

Steve rotated his pair of cards between his fingers without glancing at them, thinking hard. Actually, waiting too long had already cost him once. Sure, he and Hermione were already together but he was too traditional to consider what they had now as being enough. It had always been his intention to marry one day should he ever be lucky enough to find the right girl. For some time he’d known inside that Hermione was the one but, for some reason, he’d never actually entertained the thought of  _ physically _ asking her to marry him… Despite what Tony might say, he was still pretty hopeless (and scared) when it came to women.

“You’re all assuming she’ll say yes,” Steve pointed out. “Maybe she doesn’t want to be engaged. We haven’t really discussed the future.”

“You won’t know until you ask,” Bruce replied. 

Steve tapped his cards against the table, still musing over the idea.

Tony drained his glass with a grimace. “Me and my big mouth,” he muttered. “Worst poker night ever.”

Steve had many internal debates with himself in the following days and weeks.  _ He _ wanted to marry Hermione, that conclusion hadn’t been hard to reach, but whether she wanted to enter into an engagement with him, he wasn’t so sure. His biggest worry was that asking Hermione to commit to him in a way that she wasn’t ready for would scare her off. 

Eventually, he’d decided that it was worth the risk of her refusing his proposal for the chance that she might say yes. 

And, thankfully, that was the answer she did give (but the wait between his asking of the question and her reply had felt interminable, even though it was truly just a couple of seconds). The sense of relief was almost more potent than the happiness he felt but Hermione’s pure joy and excitement soon swept him along too. 

They had planned to keep their engagement to themselves for a while so they could treasure this feeling without any well-meant interference from their friends and Hermione’s family. This plan lasted all of three hours. 

Tired from her exploits for S.H.I.E.L.D and slightly intoxicated from the champagne she’d consumed, Hermione was convinced by Steve to spend the night at Avengers Tower rather than risk apparating them both back to DC. 

“Tonight is going to be my new patronus memory,” Hermione murmured happily from where she leant against his chest as they rode the elevator upwards. “Nothing can top this feeling.” 

“I’m glad I could make you feel happier than getting over one hundred percent on a test,” Steve replied with a grin. She withdrew herself from his embrace and shoved him playfully.

“That’s  _ not _ what my normal patronus memory is!” she objected. 

“No?” he replied in mock confusion. “Oh, then it  _ must _ be when you first entered a library.”

“Ha ha,” she responded dryly as the elevator doors slid open. “I’m not so sure I want to marry you after all!” 

“Woah,  _ what _ ?” 

Steve and Hermione looked towards the open door, unaware that Tony, alerted to their presence by J.A.R.V.I.S, had been on the other side to greet their unexpected arrival. His eyes zeroed in on the newly placed ring on her left hand before she could tuck it out of sight. 

“Congratulations on your engagement, Captain Rogers and Miss Granger,” J.A.R.V.I.S commented politely. “I wish you every happiness for your impending nuptials.” 

Hermione and Steve thanked the computer system as they stepped out of the elevator. 

“Er, yeah, same,” Tony muttered, rubbing his forehead. “That’s… that’s great news.” 

“Thanks,” Steve replied, shaking the congratulatory hand that Tony offered him. “We, er, hadn’t really planned on telling anyone yet,” he explained as Tony gave Hermione a fleeting hug.

“Oh, well that’s perfect actually,” Tony said, looking relieved. “Your secret’s safe with me, don’t worr – ”

“Tony, are you coming to bed?” Pepper’s voice cut across the hallway.

“Quick, take the ring off,” Tony hurriedly said to Hermione under his breath, but she ignored him and looked questioningly at Steve. 

“Hermione! Steve! What a lovely surprise,” Pepper called over to them with a wide smile as she came into view, barefoot, but still in her work clothes. 

Steve minutely shrugged his shoulders at Hermione to show that it was her decision whether or not to tell Pepper. She held his gaze for a moment longer before turning back to Pepper and simply holding her left hand up, ring glittering even in the soft lighting of the hallway. 

Tony cursed under his breath and Pepper halted, her mouth dropping open slightly. She gasped. “Oh my goodness!” she squealed, hurrying forwards to wrap her arms around Hermione. “ _ Congratulations! _ This is so exciting! I’m so pleased for you both.” She embraced Steve next and then grabbed Hermione’s hand so she could get a closer look at the ring. “Oh, it’s beautiful. Isn’t this wonderful news, Tony?”

Thankfully, Tony was saved from having to provide a response as another voice called across to them. 

“Hey, what’s all the yelling about?” Clint asked, walking towards them with Natasha alongside him. “Has Stark seen another spider?” 

“I wasn’t scared of the spider, it took me by surprise,” Tony said defensively but nobody paid him any attention as Clint and Natasha spotted the ring too. 

“I told you we should have phoned ahead,” Steve said to her an hour later when they finally managed to excuse themselves from their friends.

“Lesson learned,” Hermione agreed tiredly, hiding a yawn behind her hand as she opened the door to the same bedroom they stayed in (be it alone or together) whenever they slept in the Tower. “But now that it’s out there, maybe we should tell everyone and get it over with. I can’t exactly keep this from my family and friends back home when so many people know over here.” 

Which was how, less than forty-eight hours later, Steve found himself the focus of attention at a Weasley family Sunday lunch. 

When he and Hermione had requested some leave from Fury to spend a couple of days in England to share their news, he had coolly told them that he couldn’t give a damn about their personal lives but had grudgingly agreed to the time off. 

A celebratory dinner in London with Mr and Mrs Granger (who had been somewhat expecting the news after Steve had sought their blessing a couple of weeks earlier) the previous night had been swiftly followed by drinks with Harry and Ginny in the Leaky Cauldron. Ginny had nearly screamed the whole pub down in delight when the news broke. Harry had been less dramatic in his congratulations but looked just as pleased. 

“You’ve got to come to lunch at the Burrow tomorrow,” Ginny said enthusiastically but Hermione bit her lip.

“I don’t know, Ginny,” she said uncertainly. “I haven’t seen Molly since, well, since Ron and I broke up.”

Ginny waved her hand dismissively. “That was well over a year ago, she’s totally over it! Mum still considers you an honorary Weasley - she’ll be devastated if you don’t stop over.”

“She’s always asking after you,” Harry put in.

Hermione glanced at Steve. “Are you up to meeting more Weasleys?” 

“Sure,” he replied confidently. “How many can there be?” 

_ A lot _ , was the answer to that question. Fourteen members of the Weasley family were in attendance for Sunday lunch and Steve was having a very difficult time remembering which name went with which face. Hermione had gone through them individually over breakfast and had even drawn up a family tree to help him. Some family members came with warnings attached (as Geroge and Ron had done previously) such as Arthur, the patriarch of the family, who, though lovely, was fascinated by all things muggle and would undoubtedly try and monopolise Steve’s time in order to quiz him about mundane things like credit cards or aeroplanes. He was also advised that Molly was the heartbeat of the family so it was important for him to get on her good side. The only other member of the family that he needed the heads up for was Fleur, the wife of Bill. 

“And why do I need to watch myself around her?” Steve asked.

Hermione sipped her tea and thought over her words carefully. “Well, she’s not entirely human.” 

Steve choked on his mouthful of toast. “I’m sorry?!” 

“Her grandmother was a magical being called a veela,” she explained delicately. “They’re similar to the sirens of Greek mythology in that their looks and movements can be considered very seductive to men. Fleur inherited some of her grandmother’s influence and I'm not sure if it will have a more potent effect on you because of your lack of magic. Hopefully she’ll be too distracted with her two young daughters to spend any time trying to charm you.”

Thankfully, Hermione’s prediction about Fleur’s priorities proved true and he barely saw her, busy as she was tending to Victoire and Dominique. 

The first half an hour at The Burrow was a somewhat madcap mixture of introductions, congratulations and questions that he was just about able to emerge from unscathed. He made sure to be polite to Mrs Weasley, presenting her with a bouquet of flowers to thank her for welcoming him into their home. He then indulged in a bit of muggle inquisitiveness with Mr Weasley before he was rescued by Ginny, who told him to come and play quidditch in a field behind the house while dinner was cooking.

“I’ve bagsied you for my team,” she told him affably as they walked through the garden and Hermione joined them looking slightly flustered.

“I’ve only just got away from Teddy,” she explained, wiping her hand across her forehead. “The drawback of only seeing him once every few months is that I get a concentrated dose in just a couple of hours.” She blew out a breath. “Kids are so tiring!” 

Ginny laughed. “You’ve got all that to come one day!”

Steve glanced sharply at Hermione. The subject of children had yet to be seriously raised between them. 

“Oh, not for  _ ages _ yet,” Hermione replied confidently, meeting Steve’s gaze and he almost sagged with relief. “Right?”

“Right.” His current occupation was far too dangerous for him to feel comfortable about bringing a child into the world. His own father had died during World War One, before Steve was even born, and even though his mother had done an amazing job in raising him, he didn’t want a child of his own to grow up without their father. 

“Are you playing?” Ginny asked Hermione, turning the conversation back to the forthcoming game. 

“George said I had to otherwise the teams would be uneven,” she replied. “But I don’t mind taking part. You lot had better go easy on us though - I think Steve and I are the only ones here who never played for Gryffindor!” 

“It’s just a low-key family game,” Ginny said calmly.

Hermione scoffed. “Please, you lot are so competitive it’s a miracle nobody’s broken a bone in one of your family games.” 

“Um, actually…” Ginny began, sounding a little awkward.

“Save it,” Hermione sighed. “I think I’d rather not know.” 

The rest of the players were already assembled in the field, broomsticks slung over their shoulders. Except for Percy, all of Ginny’s brothers were playing along with Harry, and George and Ron’s girlfriends, Angelina and Katie. 

“We’re playing five-a-side,” Ginny explained as they got closer. “That means there are only two chasers and one beater per team. But to make things fairer, none of us are allowed to play in our typical positions.” 

It took a few minutes to finalise the teams and the positions. As promised, Steve was to be on Ginny’s team, as was Hermione, because Ginny knew that Steve would be reluctant to play against her in such a volatile sport – at least to begin with. 

Always prepared for anything, Hermione had actually packed broomsticks for her and Steve to use and the others looked somewhat shocked when she summoned them from where they’d been leaning against a wall of the Burrow. Hermione had bought them a couple of weeks after their February trip to England and the two of them frequently apparated to remote areas outside DC to fly around. He suspected that Hermione only did this because she knew how much he enjoyed it but she always denied it, claiming that she liked it too. 

His lack of magical ability meant that his broom never had quite the same level of responsiveness as a witch or wizard would expect, but he made up for that with his enhanced agility and reflexes. The truthful part of him considered alerting the other players of his skills in those areas but he eventually dismissed it; the explanation might raise questions that neither he nor Hermione wanted to answer yet. Besides, they all had magic to their advantage and he didn’t. 

It was a frenetic contest and Steve could readily believe that bones had been broken on previous encounters for there wasn’t a single player (except possibly Hermione) who didn’t desperately want to win. 

Steve played as a Chaser, with George as his partner, and the players on the pitch quickly saw just how acrobatic and daring Steve was (not that he was particularly aware of their open mouths and incredulous expressions). 

During one move, where he leapt off his broom to intercept a pass between Bill and Charlie (the other team’s Chasers) and only just grabbed onto the handle of his broom on the descent to prevent a thirty-foot drop, Katie actually screamed. Steve easily swung himself back onto his broom and threw the quaffle through the left-hand hoop so quickly that Angelina barely had time to blink, let alone block it. 

Despite his poorer flying skills, avoiding the bludger was mostly easy for him but, a few minutes into the game, one crashed into his ribs before bouncing away. Steve glanced down at the impact but didn’t even feel any particular discomfort. 

“You might want to pretend that hurt a little,” Harry called to him as he zoomed past, beater’s bat in hand. “I know I’m not the strongest beater in the world but a blow like that would normally break someone’s ribs.” 

Steve held a hand to his side for a moment to downplay any suspicions the others may have about his physique before throwing himself back into the game. 

Five minutes later, the match was completed when Hermione caught the snitch (which she told Steve was mostly down to Katie being distracted by his acrobatic performance as a chaser). Her face was flushed, unused to sporting success, as her team celebrated the 230 – 40 point thrashing they’d handed out. 

Steve’s back was heartily slapped by both teammates and those on the opposition. Exclamations of disbelief that he’d never played Quidditch before and enthusiastic compliments about his agility surrounded him as they journeyed back for lunch. He did feel somewhat of a fraud but Hermione wrapped her arm around his waist supportively, as though she knew what he was thinking, and he held his tongue. He’d tell them the truth one day. 

* * *

“Merlin, I don’t think I’m ever going to want to eat again!” Hermione groaned once she’d apparated them back to their hotel room. “I love Molly, and her cooking is delicious, but she’s got to stop insisting that I have second helpings of every course.”

Steve looked just as uncomfortable as she did. “I had to have  _ four _ helpings,” he reminded her.

Hermione sighed and held a hand against her stomach. “Well, at least we know she likes you. She wouldn’t give more of her food to just anyone.” 

A series of beeps emanated from their phones, signalling multiple notifications. “I told you the reception at the Burrow is awful,” Hermione muttered, flicking through her messages. 

“Does this still count as a vacation when we get things through from work?” Steve asked, perusing his own contacts. “It doesn’t exactly feel like one.” 

Hermione frowned down at one of her messages. “I’m just going to take this one,” she said, not really listening to him, and walked into the bathroom so that he wouldn’t have to hear the conversation. 

Agent Hill answered straightaway. “Sorry for interrupting your leave, Hermione.”

“That’s OK,” she replied. “I know you wouldn’t have flagged this up if you didn’t think it was important.” 

“Someone’s been asking after you,” Hill said, getting straight to the point. “That in itself is not entirely unusual but the individual making the request was a young woman by the name of Darcy Lewis.”

“I know that name,” Hermione murmured. “Why do I know that name?” 

“She’s an intern of Jane Foster and a former colleague of Erik Selvig,” Hill explained and Hermione nodded with recognition.

“She witnessed Thor’s first coming in New Mexico,” she added, recalling the information.

“Yes,” Hill confirmed. “Here’s the recording of the message she sent.” 

Hermione’s brain puzzled over reasons why Darcy Lewis would try to get in contact with her and then concentrated as the recording began.

“Um…hi! I hope this is the right number. My name’s Darcy Lewis. I, er, worked alongside you guys a couple of years ago – well, actually, that’s not exactly true because you were a bunch of jerks and stole everything, including my iPod, which I never got back by the way. Look, there’s some freaky stuff going on in London right now which doesn’t really make scientific sense. I thought that maybe it was something to do with the Sorceress, you know, assuming her name is literal and she’s not just some crazy Wiccan lady in a cape. I’m just a little out of my depth here and I would ask Jane but she’s kinda… gone… So, um, call me back. Please.” 

Hermione pondered Darcy’s last few words. “What does she mean Jane’s gone?” 

“Ms Lewis has reported to the British police that Jane Foster has been missing since early this afternoon,” Hill explained. “So is this anything to do with you? You’re in England, right?” 

Hermione’s mind worked quickly. Nothing she’d done over the past couple of days should be causing anything unexpected in London at the moment, but that didn’t mean that  _ another _ magical person wasn’t responsible. She had to check out whatever Darcy and Jane had found before she allowed S.H.I.E.L.D to go in and poke around. “Um, there’s a possibility it could be me,” Hermione lied to give herself some cover. “Give me the coordinates and I’ll make certain either way.” 

Agent Hill did as requested and Hermione promised to be in touch. 

“Oh, and on a personal note, congrats to you and Steve,” she added. “It’s great to have some good news for once.”

“Thanks, Maria,” Hermione said warmly as she re-entered the bedroom. “I’ll speak to you soon.” 

Steve looked up from where he was sitting on the bed. “Are you heading out?”

She nodded her head. “I’m sorry. Hopefully, it won’t be long.”

She kissed him briefly on the lips, said her farewell and apparated outside the abandoned factory. She was so used to her and Steve working separately on their S.H.I.E.L.D assignments that it never occurred to her to ask him if he wanted to join her. 

She flinched as she arrived due to the tumultuous downpour, and she instinctively cast an impervious spell on herself to keep the rain away. A number of police cars were in attendance but she spotted the huddled figure of a young woman and assumed that this was the person she had come to meet. 

“Darcy Lewis?” Hermione called as she walked over to the brunette. The woman looked at her suspiciously.

“Yeah… Who are you?” 

“You called me,” Hermione offered by way of explanation. Darcy’s brow furrowed in confusion for a moment and then she seemed to notice that Hermione was bone dry and she gaped in realisation. 

“Wait… You’re…  _ You’re… _ ?!”

“Yes, I am. You said that Jane Foster was missing,” Hermione pressed. 

“Er, yeah,  _ was _ ,” Darcy replied then pointed over Hermione’s shoulder. “It’s been a really weird few minutes.”

Hermione turned to where Darcy was indicating and, to her surprise, saw both Jane and Thor in the middle of an intense discussion. 

Darcy glanced apprehensively at the officers that were a few feet away and she pulled at Hermione’s elbow to distance themselves even further. “How about we go over and say hi. You’ve met Thor, right?” 

“Well, yes,” she replied, still a little shocked at seeing the Asgardian back on Earth. 

“Hey, look who just turned up!” Darcy called, interrupting the tender moment Jane and Thor seemed to be having. 

Thor’s expression was surprised and then he grinned widely. 

“Hermione!” he cried, embracing her warmly but Jane just looked confused.

“We’ve met before,” Jane said slowly, obviously recognising her from their discussion a couple of years ago about the Nine Realms.

“You met the Sorceress and you didn’t tell me!” Darcy complained. 

Jane looked quickly between Hermione and Darcy, eyebrows raised. “ _ You’re _ the Sorceress?!” 

Hermione nodded modestly. “It’s good to meet you again, Dr Foster. I understand that there have been some strange happenings nearby.” 

Jane shot Darcy an annoyed look. “You  _ did _ call S.H.I.E.L.D!” 

Darcy shrugged, unfazed by Jane’s ire. “Look, you can get pissy at me for being worried about you, or maybe you could go and talk to the cops because I’m  _ pretty _ sure we are getting arrested.” 

Jane sighed. “I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere,” she added to Thor before trotting off to the officers. 

Darcy looked between Hermione and Thor with a frown. 

“Hey, is one of you doing this?” she asked, indicating the downpour with a jerk of her head. 

Hermione held her hands up to protest her innocence. “It’s nothing to do with me.”

Thor looked up at the clouds and the rain ceased at once. 

“Huh, cool,” Darcy commented. “So, how’s space?” she asked Thor.

“Space is fine,” he replied amiably. 

“Why are you getting arrested?” Hermione asked, glancing at where Jane was talking to an officer. “I thought you were the one that called the police in the first place.” 

“Oh, they said something about trespassing,” Darcy mumbled. 

Hermione nodded and took a step forwards, intending to use her S.H.I.E.L.D authority to drop the charge but as the officer grabbed Jane, a surge of red energy erupted from the astrophysicist, blasting people off their feet and smashing the glass of the cars. Hermione had no time to cast a shield so she leapt behind a large shipping container. 

When the power had subsided, Hermione ran towards Jane in concern with her wand held at her side as a precaution. Jane was sprawled on the ground, weakened by whatever had surged from her.

“Jane!” Thor called, also rushing to her. 

Hermione hesitated in putting out a hand to help her rise, wary that the dark red substance would be unleashed again, but Thor had no such qualms and started raising her to her feet. 

“Are you alright?” Hermione asked instead as Jane gazed around in confusion.

“What happened?” she murmured. 

“Have you ever seen its likeness before?” Thor questioned Hermione but she shook her head minutely.

“Place your hands on your head,” an authoritative voice called and they saw another police officer cautiously edging towards them. “Step back!” 

“The woman is unwell,” Thor explained calmly, trying to pacify the situation.

“She’s dangerous,” the officer insisted.

“So am I,” Thor replied grimly.

The officer blanched and started talking into his walkie-talkie, “Requesting armed response officers to the scene.” 

Thor turned to Hermione. “Will you come with us? I anticipate your knowledge and expertise will be of great assistance.”

“Of course,” she agreed, wondering what destination he had in mind.

Thor tightened his embrace around Jane. “Hold on to me,” he instructed.

“What are you doing?” Jane queried but nonetheless did what he said. 

Hermione opened her mouth to ask where she should apparate to but strange, fiery markings appeared on the ground by her feet. A blustery rush of intense light descended on her and she instinctively grabbed a handful of Thor’s red cloak. Abruptly, all three of them were soaring upwards through the extensive shaft of light. The sensation was far more pleasant than apparating and Hermione knew she was travelling faster (and, she strongly suspected, further) than she’d ever done before. 

Dazzling stars and colourful nebulas appeared in her vision for brief moments before she was already past them. It was one of the most extraordinary and beautiful experiences of her life.

Their journey drew to a close and Hermione was forced to run forwards a few steps due to the change of speed. They emerged into a huge, golden, dome-shaped room which was covered with intricate circular markings and patterns. On a slightly raised dais at the centre of the room, stood a large, dark-skinned man, dressed in impressive golden armour. In his hands he gripped a great sword which rested in a golden block, which he quickly raised and lowered, bringing the rotating, clanking transportation device to a halt. 

“We have to do that again,” Jane said excitedly, echoing Hermione’s amazement. 

The golden warrior relinquished his hold on the sword and turned towards the women.

“Welcome to Asgard,” he said, his deep, smooth voice reverberating pleasantly around them. Hermione pursed her lips, her theory confirmed about her whereabouts. 

“Jane, Hermione, may I present Heimdall, gatekeeper of this realm,” Thor introduced, gesturing to the somewhat intimidating Asgardian. Two years ago, once Hermione had learned that the old Norse tales were more than just stories, she had done an extensive amount of research on the people and places written about in the fantastical sagas. However, seeing them in reality right in front of her eyes was more daunting than she’d ever anticipated. Heimdall exuded an ancient and powerful aura, most noticeably in his glowing eyes, that left her feeling rather small and insignificant. “Heimdall, this is Jane Foster and Hermione Granger.” 

Heimdall inclined his head to each woman in turn with an amiable expression on his face but Hermione couldn’t help but sense that it lost some of its friendliness when he looked at her. 

“I have seen and heard much about you, Jane Foster,” Heimdall said, causing Jane to glance anxiously at Thor. 

“Oh,” she said uncertainly.

“Heimdall watches over all the people of the Nine Realms,” Thor explained, reassuring her. “Over ten trillion souls, did you not say?” he added to the gatekeeper.

“I did,” Heimdall agreed and his eyes landed on Hermione again. “Though there are some even  _ I _ cannot sense.” 

Caught in his fiery gaze, Hermione, for once, was quite silent. 

“I told you of the skill of Hermione’s sorcery,” Thor said lightly. “It must be this that blocks you.” 

“It’s not done intentionally,” she added, her voice far more squeaky than she would like.

He appeared to accept the truthfulness of her words for his aura became friendlier. “I may not have seen it with my own eyes, but Thor has informed me of your courage and resourcefulness in pursuit of the Tesseract.”

“She is a much valued ally,” Thor said warmly, unaware of the slightly forced expression on Jane’s face. 

“That’s very kind of you to say,” Hermione commented, finding her voice. “But, next time we travel across space, could you perhaps give me a little more warning? Steve’s not going to have the faintest idea that I’m in another realm.” 

“Steve…Rogers?” Thor asked, a little surprised, and Hermione nodded. “He will be concerned for your welfare?” 

“I would hope so,” she responded dryly. “We’re engaged to be married.” 

His face conveyed surprise for a moment and then he grinned widely. “That is most excellent news!” He cast a sidelong glance at Jane, who was looking at Hermione with renewed curiosity. “And in a few days I hope to celebrate with you both fully.” 

Hermione nodded, aware how important it was for Jane to be assessed. “Thank you.” She turned to look along the stunning rainbow bridge that led to the distant, gleaming city and felt a burst of adrenaline that wasn’t purely down to her concern for Jane: Asgard awaited. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys liked it :D As you can see, Thor 2 is up and running.
> 
> Take care.
> 
> Lil Drop of Magic


	27. Chapter 27

Lying on the chaise in his cell, Loki leisurely threw and caught a gold cup repeatedly and then paused, seemingly sensing her presence. “Well, this is an unexpected pleasure,” he murmured, sitting up to look more closely at his visitor through the gold-rimmed protective barrier. “And in Asgardian dress too. The style is quite becoming on you.” 

Hermione glanced down at the clothes she’d been given; the floor length, turquoise gown fit with a silver breastplate was truly beautiful but had barely registered in her thoughts given her focus on helping Jane. Coldly, she raised her gaze back to his, determined to remain unruffled by whatever might come out of his mouth. She turned to the Einherjar guard who had escorted her to Loki’s cell. “You don’t have to wait with me - I’ll be fine.” The guard sent Loki a distrustful look, inclined his head to Hermione, then strolled away.

“You know, I never really took you for the gloating sort,” Loki said silkily, rising from his chaise and walking serenely towards her. 

“I’m not,” she replied shortly. “I’m in Asgard on a flying visit and my trip down here is merely to satisfy my curiosity to see what has become of you.” 

She wouldn’t tell Loki the real reason for her trip to this realm because she knew he would take pleasure in knowing that the woman Thor loved was in mortal peril. Hermione tried not to let for concern for Jane’s wellbeing show. They had discovered that an incomprehensibly ancient substance, the Aether, had invaded Jane’s body and was, even now, consuming her life force. If they didn’t have a way to remove the powerful fluid from Jane’s body, she would die. Despite Odin’s rather obvious indignation at her and Jane’s presence in Asgard, Hermione had done what she did best – read a lot of books. For once, her knowledge of ancient runes would actually come in handy. She’d nearly melted at the sight of Asgard’s great library (which an eager and desperate Thor had given her permission to enter). The rows upon rows of shelves spread on further than her eye could see, and each book that she looked at was achingly beautiful. A small group of historians and scholars were assigned to assist her but their combined efforts had revealed no solutions so far. 

Loki made an open gesture with his arms and turned slowly on the spot. “I’m no more than a zoo attraction then,” he said with soft scorn. “And what do you make of what you see?”

Hermione allowed her eyes to rake over his form, her gaze lingering on his relentless stare. 

“That nothing has changed in the twelve months since I’ve seen you,” she replied. “You feel absolutely no remorse for your actions.” 

Loki smiled, bemused by her comment. “Are you actually surprised?” 

“No,” Hermione sighed. “Just disappointed.” 

Loki chuckled. “Oh, my dear, that inner belief you have that everyone is good deep at heart will lead you to no end of trouble. It would almost be endearing if it weren’t so foolish. It’s such a pity I didn’t manage to crush that sanctimonious spirit,” he said lightly. “But I live in hope that someone else will succeed before long.” 

Hermione felt a flash of annoyance at his words and she crossed her arms defensively. Unfortunately, the movement drew his eyes to her left hand. 

“Ah, but what’s this?” he asked with relish. “Things have changed for  _ you _ since we last met. Who’s the unfortunate fellow?”

“You don’t know him,” she lied breezily. 

Loki laughed again, flashing his teeth. “You forget, Hermione, that our minds have a connection. I know you’re lying about your fiancé just as much as I’m aware you’re not merely here for a ‘flying visit’.”

“Your mother checked my mind for me,” Hermione informed him, not missing the way his body tensed at the mention of Frigga. Much to Hermione’s astonishment, the queen of Asgard had sought her out at the library to thank her for assisting Thor and to apologise for Loki’s previous actions on Earth. After overcoming her initial nerves at meeting Frigga, Hermione meekly asked the queen if she would allay her niggling concerns that Loki’s presence might remain. “She reassured me that absolutely no link remained between us.” 

“Then how do I know that it was the soldier who put the ring on your finger?” Loki shot back, recovering quickly.

Hermione looked at him coldly. “A lucky guess.”

“Not that lucky, actually,” he replied patronisingly. “You’re just disappointingly predictable. Now, unless you’ve got anything interesting to say, I’ve got an eternity of imprisonment to be getting back to.” He raised a challenging eyebrow at her but, when she remained quiet, he turned on his heel and sauntered back to his chaise. 

Her Einherjar guard reappeared at her side, ready to escort her back. With a last disapproving look in Loki’s direction, Hermione allowed herself to be led away from his cell. Her curiosity was satiated but she felt no better for it. 

It was as they had just emerged into the courtyard near the dungeons that the shouts and cries of alarm reached their ears. 

“What’s happening?” Hermione asked in concern as a dozen Einherjar reached for their swords and ran down the stairs she had just climbed. 

“Wait here, my lady,” her own guard instructed before following his comrades to the cells. Hermione heeded his words for all of two seconds before descending too. 

The yells were much louder here, and there was the unmistakable sound of blades clashing further below – it seemed the prisoners were attempting to launch an escape. Her progress was blocked by a build-up of Einherjar guards who could go no further themselves, so she apparated directly down to the cells, wand in hand. 

Prisoners and guards battled around her in a confusing melee. A large prisoner scythed a huge axe towards her chest and she leant backwards whilst simultaneously sending a stunner at his grizzled features. The man dropped like a stone and she turned, summoning the weapon of another prisoner who was about to stab a fallen guard.

As she incapacitated her fifth opponent in a handful of seconds, the bright flashes of her spells began to attract a fair amount of attention. A trio of escapees rushed at her from different sides, intending to use their impressive physicality to neutralise her, but at the last moment she apparated a few feet away and the resulting collision was enough to knock all three down at once. 

There was a bark of astonished laughter behind her and the blond-haired man it came from looked at her appreciatively as he battled a prisoner himself. “Where have you been all my life, my lady?” He wasn’t dressed in the uniform of an Einherjar, nor was the giant of a man close by who looked to be enjoying himself immensely as he clouted and walloped his enemies easily. 

“On Earth,” she replied simply, erecting a shield to block a spear that had been launched in her direction. “Er, Midgard,” she corrected. 

“Ah,” the large man cried, shoving the handle of his axe into a prisoner’s stomach. “The mortal sorceress Thor told us of! It is an honour to fight alongside such a distinguished warrior, my lady.” 

“And I’m sure he told you of us - his greatest friends,” the blond man said, looking at Hermione expectantly as she stunned another hopeful-escapee. 

“Um, we didn’t exactly have time to talk,” she said apologetically. 

The big man let out a booming laugh and, in between clanging two prisoners’ heads together, introduced himself as Volstagg. 

“I am Fandral,” the blond man said. “And I’m completely at your service, my lady.” He bowed rather ostentatiously and Hermione banished a prisoner who was about to plunge a sword into Fandral’s back to the other side of the dungeons. Fandral turned in surprise at the startled prisoner’s cry and they watched as he slammed into a number of other prisoners before finally hitting the far wall with a hearty smack and fell to the ground. 

“I’m Hermione,” she said, a little embarrassed by the amount of stares she was receiving from the other members of the skirmish, both foe and ally alike. 

Thor’s sudden landing in the dungeons diverted their attention. “Return to your cells and no further harm shall come to you,” he said imperiously amongst the hushed crowd. “You have my word.” A rather brave (or idiotic) prisoner ran forward and punched Thor across the head. Thor grabbed the offender and growled, “Very well, you do  _ not _ have my word,” before thumping him to the ground. 

Spirits diminished by Thor’s presence and Hermione’s magic, the prisoners’ resumed skirmish was short-lived. 

“How did you escape from your cell?” Thor asked the nearest conscious prisoner, holding him aloft so that his feet dangled two feet above the floor. The prisoner refused to answer at first so Thor changed his grip so that it was around the man’s throat. He clawed at Thor’s hand desperately. “Sorry, what was that?” Thor asked, freeing the man’s airwaves again.

“A m-monster,” the prisoner croaked. “He shattered the barrier with just his fists – they were glowing!” 

Thor let the man fall to the ground. “Who has seen this monster? Which way did he go?” 

Hermione spotted Loki sitting on the floor of his cell, nonchalantly reading his book. She walked quickly over to him, skirting the various groaning and unconscious bodies that littered the floor. 

“ _ Well? _ ” she asked expectantly. Loki flicked over another page, completely ignoring her. “Whatever this thing is, it’s dangerous,” she continued with more than a hint of irritation in her voice. “If you tell us where it went, we can stop it before it does any more damage.” 

Loki slowly raised his eyes to meet her gaze. “I don’t know what you’re talking about - I’ve just been sitting here reading my book. Now, as I said earlier, come back when you’ve got something interesting to tell me.” 

Hermione turned away from him with contempt. 

Little trickles of dust fell from the ceiling as it, the ground and walls all trembled and a deep, distant series of booms reached their ears. 

This wasn’t the work of one, sole monster: something bigger was at play. 

Jane. The Aether. 

She ran and leapt over to Thor. “Where is she?” 

“With my mother. Come,” Thor answered hurriedly, holding her tight against his chest as he swung  Mjølnir in a small circle and then held it aloft.

Hermione managed to suppress a rather undignified squawk and gripped his arm as they flew rapidly out of the dungeons. She didn’t mind flying; she just preferred to be the one in control, so she was quite relieved when they landed in the throne room of the Asgardian Palace. 

During her very brief stay in Asgard, Hermione had only really glimpsed the vast, column-lined hall and had been mesmerised by its beauty. 

Now it was a scene of devastation. 

A large aircraft had smashed its way into the room, destroying everything in its path. Bodies were strewn everywhere – and not just Asgardian ones. Creatures with unsettling white masks and armour gazed sightlessly up at her from their deadly resting places. She recognised them from the beautiful book Odin had shown them about the Aether: Dark Elves. Obviously, they were not quite as extinct as Odin had led them to believe.

There were no other living souls in the throne room so she looked to Thor for their next move - Jane was in as much danger as they’d feared.

“To my mother’s chambers,” he ordered, already striding away. “Hurry!” 

His size and familiarity with the palace made this much easier for him than it was for her and she quietly thanked the frequent long-distance, early morning runs she did with Steve for enabling her to keep the Asgardian in sight. 

Were those voices she could hear in the distance? 

Ahead of her, Thor let out an anguished cry of, “ _ No! _ ” and a burst of lightning shot from  Mjølnir.

Hermione’s heart leapt into her mouth. What had happened? 

She followed Thor into Frigga’s chambers and saw the queen of Asgard collapsed on the floor. Thor was chasing after something or someone out on the balcony, but Hermione skidded onto her knees next to Frigga and ran a diagnostic spell. Her magical healing had improved since she’d been combining her spells with what she’d learned about muggle practices with Simmons. The pastel-green light of her spell surrounded Frigga’s body, as it should, and Hermione clenched her wand, ready to act to whatever the diagnosis brought back. The green darkened to black and Hermione half-choked on her own ragged breath. 

Frigga was dead.

* * *

Loki looked a little surprised to see her. If she were being honest, she was rather shocked with herself, too.

“I trust you have something of interest prepared this time,” he said, putting his book to one side.

Hermione looked at his expectant face and wished she hadn’t intercepted the guard who had been sent to deliver this message. At the time, even in spite of all Loki had done, she’d thought it unfeeling of Odin to inform his son of Frigga’s death that way. Despite his earlier derisive comments about her belief in people, Hermione knew that one person, possibly the  _ only _ person, Loki still cared deeply for was his mother. And, somehow, that qualified this remorseless, mass-murdering trickster of her compassion. 

“The city is back under Asgardian control,” Hermione said softly and she cleared her throat to make her voice stronger. Something about her sombre demeanour had actually checked him, for he made no sarcastic comment. “There were,” she paused and licked her lips to combat her dry mouth, “ _ many  _ fatalities… including your mother.” She knew that he had heard her but his face showed no change of expression. “I’m sorry.” 

He nodded, stiffly, in a way that a servant would take as a dismissal but she hesitated. 

“You should know,” she said haltingly, “that your, er, lack of cooperation had no bearing on her death.”

Loki tilted his head slightly to the side, taking in what she had said. “You mean that beast…?” He was unable to finish the question but Hermione knew what he had intended to ask: whether the monster that had escaped from the cell had killed Frigga. 

She nodded mutely. 

“I’m sorry,” she repeated quietly and then turned away to give him his privacy. As she walked along the dimly lit corridor, she was sure she heard the sound of a muffled explosion coming from his cell. 

* * *

Apparating into the room in which Jane was being held prisoner, Hermione wondered whether she could technically be committing treason if she was not an Asgardian. 

She and Thor had plotted to take Jane off-world, defying Odin’s express orders. The king wished Jane to remain on Asgard so that Malekith would come back to extract the Aether and, thus, a large battle would take place where Odin trusted that his forces would defeat the Dark Elves. Concerned for the suffering the people of Asgard would face, Thor proposed that they lure Malekith to Svartalfheim, the Dark World, so that they could catch Malekith unawares by destroying the Aether when he brought it out of Jane. Should they fail, Malekith would have unparalleled power and would be near impossible to defeat. However, if they succeeded, not a single Asgardian life should be lost. 

“The risks are too great,” Heimdall had said when she and Thor enlisted his help in their plot.

“Everything we do from here on is a risk,” Thor argued, “There is no other way.” 

The guardian of Asgard had seen the truth of that and had therefore agreed to assist them. He could not overrule Odin’s orders to keep the Bifrost closed and nor did they wish for him to disobey the king so directly.

Another way to travel off-world was by using the Tesseract. However, the Cube was locked away so securely in Odin’s vault that even Hermione would have extreme difficulty in procuring it. 

There was only one other option and Hermione didn’t like it one bit… 

Jane gasped when Hermione appeared in the dimly lit room with a faint pop. She quickly stunned the guard who was in the room watching over Jane before he had time to raise the alarm and used her magic to prevent him falling noisily to the ground.

“Hi,” Hermione whispered in greeting to Jane, who looked slightly shocked.

“Er, hi.” 

“It’s time to go,” she said, holding out a hand to Jane instead of grabbing her so as not to upset the Aether. Jane rose from the seat to take her hand. “This will feel a little strange,” Hermione warned and Jane nodded.

They reappeared on the other side of the palace, not too far from the dungeons, where Thor was waiting in the shadows with Loki and…  _ Steve?! _

He was dressed in full Captain America apparel but his face showed evident relief when he saw her. “Thank God, I’ve been so worried about you!” 

Hermione was still puzzling over how he possibly could have made the journey from Earth but then she saw the scowl on Thor’s face as he looked at Steve and the warning hand he put on his shoulder. 

She glared at Loki, who was standing watching the interaction with amusement on his face. “Nice try,” she said scornfully. Loki chuckled and then his figure disappeared. The  _ true _ Loki stood in place of Steve, smirk twisting his face. “ _ Jerk _ ,” she muttered, punching him on the arm.

“It was worth it to see the look on your face,” he replied, eyes flashing, all trace of his grief for Frigga firmly locked away. 

“You’re…” Jane said with understanding as she looked at Thor’s brother.

“I’m Loki,” he introduced, “You may have heard of me.” 

Jane walked forwards and slapped him across the face. “That was for New York,” she hissed. 

Loki grinned. “I like her,” he said amiably to Thor. 

“We’ve got to go,” Hermione urged. “Heimdall will be alerting Odin to treason very soon and it would be better if we were as far away from here as possible.”

“I’ve been looking forward to this bit,” Loki claimed breezily, curling his shackled fingers around Hermione’s hand. She tried not to scowl at the broad grin he was sending her way, and held her other hand out to Jane. Thor moved forward to complete the chain and Hermione concentrated. Side-along apparation with three guests wasn’t too difficult but, when two of those were Asgardians and the other housed a volatile ancient power, she paid more attention than she would normally. 

Earlier that day, she and Thor had taken a small flying vessel out on the pretence of inspecting the damage the Dark Elf attack had caused and to give Hermione a wider tour of Asgard. They had left the skiff in a remote spot and it was here that Hermione transported the four of them to. 

The bright sunshine was quite a contrast to the dark shadows of the palace and Hermione blinked a few times to let her eyes adjust. The surrounding landscape was utterly stunning, with a wide expanse of water that stretched as far as the eye could see, surrounded by dramatic mountains. Fortunately, there seemed to be no one else around.

“Are we close to your secret pathway?” Thor asked Loki as he started the ship’s engine. 

Loki gazed around as the vessel suddenly sped forwards and he moved to the controls with an excited grin on his face. “Oh, yes,” he said lowly. 

Hermione looked at him suspiciously as he altered their course. Neither she nor Thor trusted Loki in the slightest, but they were left with little choice if their plan was to succeed. 

Jane suddenly collapsed.

“Oh dear, is she dead?” Loki asked unconcernedly, as Thor and Hermione crouched next to her.

“I’m fine,” Jane mumbled. Thor lifted her in his arms and laid her down in the front of the ship so she could rest more comfortably. The Aether’s presence was clearly taking its toll on Jane. Hopefully, Malekith would come quickly once they made it to Svartalfheim.  _ If _ they made it Svartalfheim, for Loki looked to be flying them right into the side of a mountain. 

“Loki…” Thor called uneasily, also noticing their flight path.

“If it were easy, everyone would do it,” Loki pointed out calmly.

There was no gap, no opening for which to aim for. Either Loki had truly gone insane or there was more to the mountain wall that met the eye. 

“Are you mad?” Thor cried, echoing her sentiments. 

“Possibly!” he replied with relish. 

If she didn’t know that Loki was a champion of self-preservation, Hermione probably wouldn’t have been able to make herself stay on the vessel. She crouched down and Thor protectively did so over Jane. At least it would be quick, she thought, as the distance between them and the mountain shrank rapidly… And then they were through! The ship clattered and scraped along the sides of the hidden cavern before they disappeared into a blinding white light. For a split second, Hermione thought that he’d killed them all but, a moment later, they emerged into a grey desolate landscape.

“Ta-da!” Loki crowed as the ship bumped along the ground.

Hermione let out a big sigh of relief. 

The time spent flying around Svartalfheim, waiting for Malekith to arrive, was very tiresome. They went over the plan so many times that Loki threatened to strangle himself with his own handcuffs if they had to discuss the details again. Hermione spent most of her time watching over Jane (though there was little that she could do for her) but this was also a good excuse to keep away from the brothers as they sniped and argued with each other. Even when Thor raised his fist ready to punch Loki, Hermione couldn’t find the desire within herself to stop him. Fortunately for Loki, Thor restrained himself. 

Eventually, Malekith’s ship appeared in the sky, signalling Hermione’s time to disillusion herself and leave. She nodded to Thor and Loki as the disguising spell trickled down her body and then disapparated. 

She watched from a distance as the two parties landed their ships and walked towards each other. The grainy surface of the world prevented her from walking about in this form because her footprints would show up clearly, so she apparated closer in stages, trusting that the howling wind would mask the noise. 

Thor, Loki and Jane appeared on the crest of the hill and she waited, heart in her mouth, for their plan to proceed. 

She watched Thor remove the handcuffs from Loki before the trickster twisted, impacting something into Thor’s body and then throwing him down the hill. 

Jane’s desperate cry of, “Thor!” reached Hermione’s ears as Loki jumped down after his fallen brother, Jane stumbling after them. 

“You really think I cared about Frigga,” Loki said contemptuously as Thor rolled to a stop. “About  _ any _ of you?” He kicked Thor in the head, knocking him to the ground. “All I ever wanted was you and Odin dead at my feet!” he snarled. Thor held out his hand to summon  Mjølnir but, with a flash of a blade, Loki cut off his hand. 

Hermione had to admit that it all looked very realistic, but then that was the point: to lull Malekith into a false sense of security.

Jane fell to her knees next to Thor as he groaned on the floor. Loki grabbed her around the waist and hauled her towards the party of Dark Elves.

“Malekith!” he cried. “I am Loki of Jotunheim and I bring you a gift.” He flung Jane at his feet. “I ask only one thing in return - a good seat from which to watch Asgard burn.” 

Malekith surveyed the drama in front of him emotionlessly. The huge creature next to him, no doubt the one who had killed Frigga, spoke to Malekith in a language she didn’t understand. Malekith appeared to accept Loki’s request and walked towards Thor, who was still writhing in agony, cradling his dismembered arm.

“Look at me,” Malekith ordered, kicking Thor onto his back so that he would have no choice. Still staring at Thor, Malekith held out his arm and Jane’s body slowly rose a few feet into the air, her robe and hair whipping around her with the force of the wind. Darkness seeped from her in small trickles, combining into a seething dark mass before them. 

When Malekith had finished extracting the Aether, he let Jane fall unceremoniously to the ground. 

“ _ Now! _ ” Thor cried. 

Loki cancelled his trick on Thor’s hand, revealing it to be in place after all. Thor summoned Mjølnir and aimed it at the Aether as Hermione did the same with her wand. She cast a sustained  _ confringo _ at the swirling Aether and she sincerely hoped that the blasting spell, combined with the lightning from Mjølnir, would destroy the substance forever. The power of their assault made the Aether distort and rise high above them. Hermione’s wand shook violently in her hand but she held on determinedly. Just when she thought that the wand would burst, the Aether shattered, the force of the explosion pushing her backwards. She stumbled to the ground, drained by the effort of enforcing such a powerful spell, and felt a number of sharp stings across her body. 

As the dust settled around them, Hermione looked down and noticed that she was visible once more. Along her arms were a series of small cuts and scratches and she realised she suddenly no longer felt tired. 

Before her eyes, small shards of red rose upwards, defying the laws of gravity. They were all around, in fact, hundreds of tiny crimson pieces rising in the air and regathering themselves. 

They had failed to destroy the Aether. 

A sharp pain seared in her grazes and she looked down to see the flesh was completely healed. Bewildered, she raised her head and saw their worst fears realised as Malekith absorbed the Aether into his body. When he looked down at them all, his eyes were completely black. 

They had prepared for this eventuality: their new priority was to stop Malekith from leaving. Thor and Loki focused on the Dark Elves themselves while Hermione apparated to the open door of their ship. Inside the alien craft, she had no idea where to go so she just ran as fast as she could, casting blasting, bombarding and severing hexes as she went. Flames licked at her heels as she climbed higher but this only encouraged her. Shouts of alarm echoed around the vessel but she didn’t stay still long enough to find out where they came from. 

The ship shuddered and she paused, wondering whether the cause was because of her spells. Surely she hadn’t done enough damage yet? Then she realised that they were taking off. She considered disapparating to reunite with Thor and come up with a new way to take on Malekith, but she dismissed the idea. She was here, on his ship, with every opportunity to stop him. If she let him get away, it was more than likely that he would use the Aether to bring darkness to the universe again. Should she die as a result of tearing apart this ship then it would be worth it to ensure that Steve, Harry, Ron, Ginny, her parents and trillions of others in the Nine Realms and beyond would continue to live in the light. 

Hermione ran forwards to find another part of the vessel to destroy but around the corner she stumbled straight into Malekith. 

He grabbed her throat and slammed her into the wall, his half-blackened face snarling at her menacingly. “Going somewhere, child?” 

_ Save yourself! _ Her mind screamed at her, but the brutal grip he had on her throat was all encompassing. 

The icy expression on his face softened slightly into one of curiosity, though his grip didn’t slacken. “It reaches for you,” he murmured. 

Hot sparks erupted from her wand and he removed his hold around her throat long enough to deliver a substantial blow to her head and she fell unconscious to the floor. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Thank goodness for Loki otherwise I fear this would have been a rather dull chapter.
> 
> Take care.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. It feels so strange to be going through these early chapters again. 
> 
> Let me know (new reader, long-time reader or returning reader!) what you thought.
> 
> Lil Drop of Magic


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